Stitched Together
by sweetsheart
Summary: Teach E.A.T Class. Dissect rare specimen. Attend Deathscythe meeting. Change diaper? Stein and Marie welcome a daughter to their family. How will she turn out, growing up in a world of weapons, meisters, shinigami and witches? SteinxMarie, some KidxMaka. Story two in the 'Stitches' series.
1. Settling In Together

**A/N: I'M BA-ACK! :D I bet you're glad to see me :) If you read 'Stitches,' then welcome back! Thanks for returning! If you're new to this story, you can either a) Read the first story, 'Stitches', or, if you can't be bothered, b) just read this and keep in mind that Stein and Marie have a little baby girl, Shelley Yumi 'Stitches' Stein. This story starts at about the time where the last one finished.**

**Oh, and all of the chapters in this story begin with a diary entry by Marie :) **

**Now that's out of the way, let us begin in the same place our last story started; the bedroom. (See what I did thar?)**

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><p><em>~Stitches – 1 week old~<em>

_So...  
>I was told to keep a diary of things that happen in Stitches' life. So, I'm going to. No matter how stupid Stein thinks it is.<em>

_Stitches, Stein and I have been home for 4 days now; and other than a severe lack of sleep we're doing pretty well. Stein is holding her at the moment; and may I just say, he looks mighty adorable. Is adorable the right word? Fatherly may be more apt._

_I don't know if I'm more proud or infatuated with the way Stein has taken over the new role of 'Dad.' I have to admit, I was worried for a little while that he wouldn't be able to do it. But, he's proved me 100% wrong and he seems to be a natural. Not that he'd admit anything like that._

_I think I'm settling into the whole mother routine fairly well. The lack of sleep jolted me a little bit, but I knew I had to get used to that, so it wasn't a shock so much as an annoyance. But, it's worth it. Stitches is just… she's gorgeous. She's got my eyes but Stein's hair; I hope she doesn't freak out about that too much later in life._

_It's really nice to be in a family again. I haven't been in one for so long. And I don't care how my daughter turns out. No, scratch that, __our__ daughter. Stein and I don't care how our daughter turns out, what she likes, who she decides to be; she will always be loved._

_Now I'm rambling._

_Oh my._

_Stitches just threw up all over Stein. I'd better go and help him._

_Marie x_

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><p>The clock on the wall read 3:56 am.<p>

Franken Stein and Marie Mjolnir laid, relatively motionless and asleep, next to each other in the bed they shared. At the end of the bed, in a small bassinet, laid their now one-week-old baby daughter, Shelley, who was more fondly known as Stitches. They'd had a rather uneventful night; Stitches threw up on Stein, she wouldn't go to sleep until midnight, and she refused to stay still. Pretty run-of-the-mill.

Marie turned over in her slumber, pulling herself close to Stein's chest and nuzzling into it. It had been a long while since she could get that close to him, considering the size of her pregnant stomach up until a week ago.

Stein stirred slightly and awoke, though not completely, and wrapped his arms around her waist. He fell back to sleep, an action which he had learnt not to take for granted with a baby around the house. The past few nights had been disruptive, to say the least. Stitches was not a particularly bad sleeper, _per se_, but she was a baby. And Stitches wasn't one to be inconsistent.

Her golden eyes opened, though they didn't focus on anything. Stitches had just begun to concentrate on specific things, but it was dark in the room. This confused the little girl. And, like any good infant, when something confused her, or made her feel any sort of negative feeling, for that matter, she would cry.

The scream rang out through the entire room. Marie looked up at Stein, bags under her eyes. Her golden eyes were weary. Marie had a lot of reserve, but it hadn't exactly come to the surface by four in the morning.

"I've got her." Stein said, scratching his head and grabbing blindly for his glasses on the side table. He eventually found them, sliding them on and walking over to the infant.

"Alright, alright, I heard you the first time." Stein said, picking up the little girl and placing her over his shoulder, rubbing her back whilst pacing back and forward across the room. Marie looked over at him, wearily.

"You're such a...great...dad." Marie said, falling back to sleep. Stein rolled his eyes and couldn't help but smirk. He went to place the now calm infant down in the bassinet. As he did, she began to screech once more. He raised an eyebrow and picked her up once more.

After walking around with her for a little longer, she stopped crying once again. But, once more, as he went to put her down in the bassinet, she began to sob. Stein rolled his eyes.

"Alright." Stein said, holding Stitches with one arm against his chest, cranking his screw backwards until it clicked with the other. He looked over at Marie, who was fast asleep, curled up into a little ball. Stein sighed, looking down at the intently staring golden eyes of his daughter.

"Looks like it's just you and me, Stitches." Stein said. The little girl cooed happily, her eyes blinking quickly. Stein shook his head and chuckled.

"You get _that_ from your mother." Stein said, walking the little girl out into the main room in his laboratory. She continued to make generic baby noises, though she was seemingly tired. She continued to rest her head against Stein's chest.

"If you're that tired, then why won't you let me put you to bed?" Stein asked the newborn, exasperatedly. Her eyes opened at her father speaking and she glared up at him with slightly too much aggression for a one-week-old.

"You get _that_ from your mother too." Stein remarked, sitting down on one of the chairs with the little girl. Stein held up the Stitches' head with his arm and laid his hand down on her stomach, which rose and fell with the little breaths that passed her lips. Stitches' soft, dainty hands laid on top of Stein's and she tightened her grasp around one of his fingers.

Stein looked down at the little girl, who seemed to have some innate bond with him. He didn't know what it was, but she acted differently around him that she did around Marie. She did know that Marie was her mother - that was obvious.

But there was some way that Stein was able to calm the little girl's demeanour. During the day, with Marie there, Stitches was relatively rambunctious and inquisitive; well, to the extent a one-week-old could be.

When Stitches was with her father, on the other hand, she was rather sedate and calm. She continued to keep a firm hold on her father's finger. Stitches would sigh, every so often, her eyes still open slightly. Stein would have gone to put her back in the bassinet, but he didn't want to risk waking Marie.

Stein simply sat in the chair with Stitches until Marie awoke later that morning, around seven. She walked out of the bedroom and saw the back of her partners head.

"Stein?" Marie asked, walking over to him. Stein turned his head slightly and looked over at her.

"How long have you been out here?" Marie asked, quietly, taking Stitches out of Stein's arms so he could stand up and stretch. He pressed his glasses over the bridge of his nose and looked up in thought.

"Since about four, I'd say." Stein said, scratching his head and cranking his screw backwards twice. Marie's jaw dropped as she held her daughter close.

"Stein! You should have woken me up!" Marie said. Stein shook his head at her.

"We were fine." Stein remarked, looking at the little girl.

"She glares like you." Stein said, chuckling slightly. Marie glared at Stein.

"I don't glare!" Marie said. Stein simply smirked.

"You're doing it, right now." Stein shook his head. The glare deepened.

"I am not!" Marie exclaimed. Stein crossed his arms and walked across to sit backwards on his chair. He swiftly rolled it over to Marie and Stitches once again.

"I don't glare, do I?" Marie asked Stein, turning her head away from Stitches. Stein nodded.

"Sorry." Stein shrugged.

"Yeah, well… you snore." Marie said, indignantly. Stein chuckled slightly.

"Do I just?" Stein asked, looking up at Marie. Marie smirked at him.

"Yep." Marie replied, moodily. Stein rolled his eyes and gave her the 'I-know-that-you're-making-this-up-and-there's-no-way-you're-getting-away-with-it' look. Marie sighed, lifting her daughter up to settle over her shoulder, her face filled with defeat.

"I don't snore, do I?" Stein asked, knowingly.

"Of course you don't." Marie giggled, rubbing Stitches' back as she began to snivel. Marie could tell it was a tired cry. Marie held the little girl out in front of her, getting a tiny, gummy yawn in response.

"She's going to go to sleep now, isn't she?" Stein asked. Marie looked down at the baby as her crying increased.

"Yeah, she wants to." Marie sighed, standing up and holding Stitches gently in her grasps.

"Really? You wake your papa up at an ungodly hour and _now_ you want to sleep?" Marie asked the girl in a baby-talk voice. The girl sighed, her eyes closing inadvertently, and fell asleep in her mother's arms.

"You're too cute to stay mad at," Marie said through a yawn, "kinda like your papa. But don't tell him I called him cute. He'll get grumpy. And we don't want Papa to get grumpy, do we?" Stitches opened her eyes slightly and cooed at her mother.

Marie smiled and sighed, walking off to put Stitches back into her bassinet. Stein smirked at her as she walked out of the room tentatively, making sure not to wake Stitches.

She shut the door around and walked over to Stein, facing him and dropping her head to his chest. Stein pulled her head up with two fingers so he could see her, blinking tiredly and giving his partner a small, sleepy smile.

"She asleep?" Stein asked.

"I hope so." Marie said, half-heartedly. The two of them sat down on the couch, Marie sighing loudly and glancing at her partner.

"What's the matter?" Stein asked. Marie looked up at Stein and pressed her hand to the side of Stein's face.

"You look so tired." Marie said, quietly. Stein smirked slightly.

"I'm used to sleep deprivation. What about you?" Stein asked. Marie sighed and smiled sleepily.

"I'd be sleep deprived for the rest of my life if it meant spending more time with our daughter." Marie said, proudly. Stein smirked and wrapped one arm around Marie's shoulder, the other resting on her lap.

"You astound me sometimes, Marie." Stein replied. Marie looked up at him.

"In a good way, I hope." Marie giggled. Stein shut his eyes and pressed a kiss to the top of Marie's head.

"Of course." he replied.

**A/N: Right, so, that was just to set the tone of the story and to get back into the swing of things. Alright, chapter 2 awaits!**

**Ooh, and just a little side note. You may notice a slight change in Stein's personality in this story. It's character development, not OOCness, I swear. This takes place over quite a long period of time. So, yeah :D Welcome back!**


	2. Papa's Going Back

**A/N: Alright, so, this chapter is dedicated to all the mothers :) **

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><p><em>~Stitches – 2 months old~<em>

_So._

_I'm worried. Stein is going back to teach at Shibusen and I'm staying at home to take care of Stitches. Naigus has said that she'll take care of Stitches at Shibusen, but while she's an infant she's gotta stay at home._

_Yumi is coming over to help me, and I'm very thankful for her. I shouldn't be freaking out like this. Because then Stein will get stressed and then the baby will get stressed and then I'll get more stressed which will make Stein get more stressed and… oh boy. I really hope that we'll be alright. I hope I don't burn the house down. Or flood the house. Or lose Stitches. __Which I won't because that's a ridiculous notion._

_Note to self; find new place in house to write in diary. Stein knows my hiding spot now. He also thinks it's appropriate to steal it from me and hold it above my head where I can't reach it._

_Well, I'd better try to get a little sleep. Little being the operative word here._

_Marie x_

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><p>Marie stood at the door, holding her daughter against her hip.<p>

"Marie, you are going to be fine." Stein said, one hand on Marie's hip, the other currently being examined and drooled on by his daughter. Stein looked over at the inquisitive little girl, shook his head and smiled, pulling his hand from her grasps and wiping it on the back of his labcoat.

"But what if something goes wrong?" Marie fretted, straightening the small cloth headband on her daughter's silver-haired head.

"You can call me." Stein said. Marie looked worried.

"Marie, you will be fine. I have to go, now. I trust you implicitly." Stein said to her. Marie looked up at him.

"Okay. Say goodbye to Papa, Stitches." Marie said, holding the baby girl at Stein's eye level. She looked at Stein and dribbled, smiling contently.

"Well said." Stein said, taking the sleeve of his labcoat and wiping his daughter's face. He kissed her on the forehead and Marie lowered her back against her hip. Stein pecked Marie lightly on the lips and walked out of the door. Marie looked on wistfully as the scientist eventually walked down the stairs, out of sight. Marie sighed apprehensively, but a smile crossed her features when she saw Azusa ascending the stairs as Stein descended them.

"Yumi." Marie smiled, the raven-haired Deathscythe smiling back at her. Stitches babbled happily as her aunt took her from her mother.

"You ready, Marie?" Azusa asked. Marie took a deep breath and nodded.

"I think so." Marie said.

* * *

><p>The reactions were mixed to Stein's return to Shibusen. Maka, Tsubaki, Liz, Patti and Kid were glad to have their old teacher back; they'd had substitutes, but none of them could read the students' strengths and weaknesses like Stein. Soul and Black*Star, however, were a different story.<p>

The silver haired scientist rolled into the classroom backwards, falling over as per usual. The sheer look of horror on Soul and Black*Star's faces said it all.

"_Stein_?" they yelled, in unison.

"Good morning, class." Stein said, still laying on the ground.

"Welcome back, Doctor Stein." Maka said, contentedly. Although when Stein first started teaching Class Crescent Moon, Maka despised his methods, she had become used to it now. Plus, the way that Maka saw Stein as a mentor gave Stein good grounds to ridicule Spirit.

"Thank you, Maka." Stein said, standing up and fumbling around in his pocket for his packet of cigarettes. However, an odd, plastic sounding rattling emerged instead. He pulled out a set of primary-coloured, oversized baby keys. He rolled his eyes and shoved the toy back in his pocket.

"And how _is_ Shelley, Doctor?" Maka asked. Stein looked over at her.

"She's fine, thank you, Maka. Right, class, open your textbooks to page 75, and just… do the questions." Stein said, his tone lacklustre.

"No dissection?" Ox asked the scientist. Stein shook his head and sat behind the desk, resting his head on his hand. 2 months of interrupted sleep had taken a toll on Stein.

Stein struggled to keep his eyes open, and eventually got to the stage where he had to close them. As he did, Soul leant over to Black*Star.

"Hey. Watch this." Soul whispered, taking a piece of paper from his notebook and folding it into a paper plane. Soul snickered as he threw the plane on a direct course to Stein's head.

So, you can imagine his surprise when the doctor, eyes still closed, plucked the plane out of the air and scrunched it in his fist. Soul sat there, his jaw wide open.

"Do your damn work." Stein said, sternly. Soul snarled at Stein, before reluctantly picking up his pencil and continuing the questions. Tsubaki looked over at her teacher, sympathetically. She turned to Maka, who was sitting next to her, and Liz and Patti, who were just behind them.

"Poor Doctor Stein… he looks so tired." Tsubaki said, sympathetically.

"Well, he does have a baby at home, now." Maka said. Tsubaki nodded.

"Have you met her?" Patti asked. Maka nodded and looked at the girls, triumphantly.

"I saw her just a few minutes after she was born." Maka said, smirking slightly. The girls gushed and began to chatter.

"What was she like? Did she look like an alien?" Liz asked, leaning in. Kid, who was sitting next to her, overheard.

"What?" Kid asked. Maka looked up at her boyfriend.

"Nothing. Girl stuff." Maka said, getting back to the conversation.

"So, what did she look like?" Tsubaki asked.

"She's little. And she was red all over. She was all curled up in her little blanket, and she has silver hair." Maka smiled.

"Is she cute?" Patti asked. Maka nodded.

"Very." Maka said.

"Kiddo said he got to meet her, but he wouldn't take us." Liz sighed, looking over at the shinigami behind her. Kid leant into the conversation.

"I only saw her because Father made me." Kid said, crossing his arms.

"So you're saying she's not cute?" Patti said.

"No, I'm saying-" Kid began.

"So you're saying she _is_ cute?" Liz asked.

"No, I'm saying I-"Kid began.

"So you're saying she's ugly? Kid, she's just a baby!" Patti said. Kid sighed exasperatedly.

"I have work to do." Kid sighed, going back to reading the textbook. The girls giggled slightly.

"I trust it's the work you're laughing about." Stein said, wearily, from behind them. The girls all turned around to face their teacher.

"What on Earth _are_ you talking about?" Stein asked.

"Oh, we were just talking about how cute your baby is." Patti said, without even a hint of hesitation in her voice. Liz, Maka and Tsubaki all turned slowly to face her, their expressions shocked. Stein tilted his head to the side, raising an eyebrow. Patti looked back at them, bewildered, and asked innocently;

"What?"

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><p>"Are you sure you're okay with her?" Marie asked. Azusa nodded as she sat the little girl up on her hip, smiling at her.<p>

"You look quite natural with a baby, Yumi." Marie smiled, sitting next to her friend and her daughter.

"Well, Marie, I sat around with hormonal, pregnant you for a good seven or eight months, and then you give birth to this adorable little bundle. Believe it or not, I am human." Azusa said. Marie looked at her friend incredulously.

"You… you got clucky?" Marie asked. Azusa turned to her.

"So, sue me." Azusa said. Marie giggled and rested her head on Azusa's shoulder.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Marie said. Azusa smiled slightly.

"They probably wouldn't believe me, anyway." Marie smirked. Azusa narrowed her eyes at Marie.

"Thank you… so much." Azusa said. Marie giggled and brushed Stitches' hair out of her face.

"Oh, I've missed you, Yumi." Marie smiled. Azusa returned the expression and glanced down at Stitches who continued to drop off sporadically. Azusa lifted her niece over her shoulder and let her sleep properly.

"How's Stein dealing with it all?" Azusa asked Marie blinked quickly.

"Did you just… show a slight concern for my partner's wellbeing?" Marie asked. Azusa sighed.

"Well, he knocked you up, so I should suppose I should pretend I don't dislike him." Azusa said. Marie rolled her eyes and gave a small laugh.

"He's doing fine. I think. Tired, though." Marie said, accompanied with a small sigh. Azusa turned to Marie, a suggestive smirk on her face.

"What?" Marie asked. Azusa chuckled slightly, resting her hand on Stitches' back.

"You seem disappointed that he's tired. Could that perhaps be because your bed is now only used for sleeping?" Azusa smirked. Marie shook her head and laughed.

"He's not _that_ tired." she replied, a small smirk on her face. Azusa nodded and rubbed small circles into Stitches' back.

"Thanks for that information." she said, staring at Marie.

"You asked!" Marie said. Azusa handed Marie her now awake daughter and sat back further on the seat.

"I can't believe you'd talk about such things with your daughter in the room." Azusa remarked. Marie smiled widely and shook her head.

"I'm a terrible mother." Marie giggled. Azusa sighed and crossed her arms, glancing over at the door when it opened.

"Who's home, Stitches?" Marie asked Stitches. Her daughter simply blinked, still unable to see Stein. Marie stood up and held Stitches against her hip, her eyes lighting up when she saw her father.

"You all survived, I see?" Stein said, taking Stitches from Marie and holding her against his chest, watching as she wrapped her tiny fist around his index finger.

"Well, yes, but only because of Yumi. I wish you were still at home." Marie said, a small pout appearing on her lips.

"Don't you pout at me." Stein said, but this only caused Marie to pout further. Stein smirked and leant down to kiss Marie, which was accompanied by a surprised squeak from the blonde Deathscythe. Azusa sighed and shook her head when the two continued to kiss in front of her. She stood up and took Stitches from Stein, coughing in order to get Stein and Marie's attention.

"Yes?" Stein asked. Azusa did not respond at first, but simply pointed to the bedroom. When all she got was two bewildered looks, she sighed.

"I do not need to have your 'Oh, yay, we're in a relationship with a new baby'-ness shoved in my face." Azusa said. She expected protest, but Stein simply grabbed Marie's hand and dragged her into the bedroom, shutting the door behind them. Azusa's eyes widened.

"Oh, that was dumb, Yumi." Azusa said to herself.

Needless to say, neither Stein nor Marie emerged for quite a while.

**A/N: hehehe. I didn't do it. ^_^**

**Oh, just a little note, this story won't be updated as fast as Stitches was. Last year of high school = a lot of work -_- But, I'll try to keep up with it all :D**


	3. Uncle Spirit's Daycare

**A/N: Alright, so, this chapter need no introduction. I'm sucking up to kyonkichi's kitten in this chapter. Contains a little bit of KidxMaka.**

**Sorry that I've been so lazy with updates. Blame the final year of high school -_-**

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><p><em>~ Stitches – 6 months old ~<em>

_Spirit Albarn. I love him, but sometimes he takes things the complete wrong way._

_Spirit has decided that Stein was getting too angry and agitated at Shibusen, and drew his own conclusions. Stein is touchy because Stitches has only just begun to sleep through the night and our sleep schedule is still out of whack._

_Spirit, however, decided that it was because Stitches had prevented Stein and I from… well… you know… having 'romantic encounters.' Whether that is true or not is beside the point. So, he said that he'd take Stitches for the night. And I couldn't tell him no. Damned Spirit. Him and his charisma. Plus, I have difficulty in saying no at the best of times. So, Stein and I have a night in, by ourselves. I'm worried, in a way. Is it bad that I'm excited too?_

_Damn you, Spirit!_

_Marie x_

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><p>"So, you've got her bottles?" Marie asked. He nodded.<p>

"You've got her toys?" Marie asked. He nodded once more.

"And her pop-up-cot?" Marie asked. The redhead exasperatedly nodded.

"Marie, Stein, you can trust me. Plus, Maka's helping." Spirit said to Marie, who was holding her six-month-old daughter close to her chest. She reluctantly gave Stitches to Spirit. Spirit smiled, as Stitches gabbled slightly. She was six months old, and at the age where she had begun to make up her own language. Her golden eyes filled with tears as she looked back at her parents.

"A…ga…ba…" The little girl babbled, motioning to her parents. She struggled in Spirit's arms.

"Come here, Uncle Spirit will take care of you." Spirit said, turning the little girl around to face him. She glared at him. He looked over at Marie, who had a similar scowl on her face.

"Uncanny." Spirit said to himself. Maka walked over to Spirit, looking out the door.

"Ah, Marie-sensei, Doctor Stein. Papa, give Stitches here." Maka said, motioning for the little girl. Spirit reluctantly gave Stitches to Maka, and she immediately calmed down. She even began to smile as she saw the recognisable face of the girl who was essentially her cousin.

The girl squeaked happily as Maka placed her finger against her palm, Stitches' grip tightening and Maka waving around her fist, causing her to giggle with delight. Marie and Stein poked their heads around the doorframe. Marie smiled. Stein looked at Spirit.

"I wouldn't let Maka have too much fun with Stitches. The way she and Kid are going, you could be a grandfather like that." Stein clicked his fingers. Spirit's eyes widened.

"Alright, Maka-chan, give Papa the baby!" Spirit said. Maka glared over at him.

"Papa! What are you doing?" Maka said, turning Stitches to laugh, slightly too maniacally for a six-month-old.

"Give Papa the baby!" Spirit said, throwing his arms out towards the slightly scared infant. Maka glared.

"Papa, she's fine." Maka said.

"But-" Spirit began.

"Papa, you set up the cot. The only reason you're here is so that there's an adult in the house with the baby. Besides, Kid will be here soon. When he comes over, you can have Stitches all to yourself. Kid and I will go off by ourselves." Maka said. Spirit's jaw dropped and his pupils widened.

"_No!_" Spirit said.

"I think that's our cue to leave." Stein said.

"Okay…" Marie said, walking over into the apartment to say goodbye to her daughter.

"Say goodbye to your mama, Stitches." Maka said, letting Marie take the girl for a hug. Marie reluctantly gave the baby back afterwards. She walked back over to Stein, who took Marie's hand and pulled her out of the apartment, because there was no way she was leaving of her own volition.

"She's going to be fine, Marie." Stein tried to reassure the mother of his child.

"Stein, face it, I'm going to be tense all night." Marie said. A wicked grin crossed Stein's features and he glanced down at Marie. he then shoved his hands in his pockets, the smirk not disappearing.

"Not if I can help it." he replied, nonchalantly. It took Marie a couple of seconds for it to click, but when it did, she slapped Stein in the arm.

"You are _terrible_, Franken." Marie crossed her arms. Stein smirked.

"You're _already_ calling me Franken? Usually you have to be in a much more advanced state of undress before you start calling me-"

"_Franken_, if you don't shut up, I will punch you. Just because you happen to be the father of my daughter does _not_ mean I won't punch you." Marie crossed her arms. Stein rested his arm around Marie's shoulders, kissing her gently on the head.

"I love you too, Marie." he replied. Marie just gave a small smile as they walked out of the apartment complex.

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><p>Kid arrived shortly after Stein and Marie left. He walked in the door to see Maka, Stitches sitting on her lap, playing peek-a-boo. Kid smiled and took a seat next to his girlfriend.<p>

"Maka." Kid said, quietly. Stitches turned to analyse the slightly less familiar looking Kid. The baby girl reached out and swiftly grabbed a tight hold of Kid's nose.

"Ouch!" Kid said, recoiling. Maka and Stitches both giggled.

"Thanks, guys." Kid said.

"She's got her father's reflexes." Maka said, between giggles. Kid looked over at Maka.

"You look very natural with that baby on your lap." Kid said, still trying to work out the little baby girl.

"It makes sense. I can chain resonate well with her father; her soul is similar to his." Maka said, bouncing the little girl on her knees.

Kid concentrated hard on the little girl's soul. It wasn't completely developed. It had very few defining features. The shape of the soul was like her mother's; round with a sharp-pointed, lightning-bolt like tail. It was blue, like her father's, and seemed to 'act' in the same manner as Stein's.

"I agree." Kid said.

"Do you ever want children, Kid?" Maka asked, turning Stitches around to lean back on her stomach. Kid nodded.

"Yes. One day. Hopefully with someone who cares about me; someone strong-willed and confident." Kid said.

"With green eyes and a flat chest?" Maka asked, grinning at her boyfriend.

"Definitely." Kid smirked, sitting back on the couch. Spirit walked into the room, saw the close proximity of her daughter and the shinigami and the look on his face, and immediately jumped to sit between them.

"Maka-chan, why didn't you tell me Kid was here?" Spirit asked. Maka crossed her arms.

"Because I knew you'd do _this_. Come on, Kid. Let's go. Come on, Stitches." Maka said, picking the little girl up and placing her in the small cot which doubled as a playpen. She gave Stitches a small rattle, which she waved around contentedly.

"Make sure she doesn't throw it around too much." Maka said, taking Kid's hand and leading him past her father to her room.

"Keep your door open!" Spirit yelled to them. The call was followed by a swift slam. Spirit growled. He walked over to the babbling little girl and picked her up, much to her displeasure. He turned her around to face him.

"Maka-chan thinks I can't take care of you properly… well, I raised her! A single fath-_Ow!_" Spirit exclaimed, causing Stitches to giggle maniacally. Stitches had hit him, clean in the middle of the forehead with her rattle.

"You just enjoy watching me suffer, don't you?" Spirit asked. The little girl's head dropped to the side, slightly. She raised her arm and hit Spirit again with her rattle. Spirit rubbed his forehead, looking down at the little girl. He couldn't help but crack a smile.

"Oh, yes. You're _definitely_ Stein's kid."

* * *

><p>Marie glanced over the shirtless body of her partner to the clock which sat at the side of their bed.<p>

"It's ten in the morning, and we're still in bed." She smiled; pulling her scantily clad self back against Stein's chest.

"It's nice." Stein said, looking down at the top of her head.

"Nice does not _begin_ to cover it." Marie said. Stein chucked slightly.

"Spirit's probably been up for ages." Stein said. Marie turned around to look at him.

"Let's not talk about Spirit." Marie smiled, sultrily, and wrapped her arms around Stein's shoulder. Stein would usually have submitted gladly.

"_Spirit_!" Stein exclaimed. Marie ignored him.

"I said, stop talking ab-" Marie began, but Stein cut her off.

"No, _Spirit_!" Stein said, swiftly flipping Marie over to see the redhead at the door, paralysed in shock. Marie squealed as she brought the quilt up to cover her face. Stein looked over at her.

"…I think he saw you, Marie." Stein said, raising an eyebrow. Marie, instead of dropping the quilt, curled up into a ball and hid under it completely. Stein sighed.

"Stein, I-I'm sorry. I just-uh-I'm gonna-yeah-see you in a minute." Spirit said, turning around and walking out of the doorway. Stein shook his head and got dressed, looking at Marie who was still curled up under the quilt.

"Come out whenever." Stein said, lingering at the doorway.

A noise of disdain came from under the covers.

Stein chuckled slightly, turning around and walking over to Spirit, who had Stitches. She was uncomfortable, still trying to get away from him. Her eyes lit up as she saw her father and she began to babble happily. Stein took the little girl from his former weapon and she immediately calmed.

"Sorry about that, before." Stein said, sitting down across from Spirit.

"Don't worry about it. What you do in the privacy of your own home is none of my business. I just thought I'd bring her back because she was getting agitated." Spirit said, still not able to make eye contact with his ex-meister.

"Yeah, she does that. Marie is kind of mortified, though." Stein said, sitting Stitches forward on his lap, leaning her forward with one hand on her chest, the other on her back, rubbing circles into it as she slowly began to fall asleep. Spirit smirked slightly.

"Well, apologise to the missus for me, won't you?" Spirit asked. Stein nodded. Spirit sat forward in the hair and placed his hands on his knees, ready to stand up.

"Well, I'd better get going." Spirit said, standing up and heading over to the door. Stein turned around as Spirit opened the door.

"And Stein?" Spirit asked.

"Yeah?" Stein asked.

"Your daughter is sadistic." Spirit said, rubbing the spot on his forehead where he had been hit with the rattle. Stein smirked as Spirit left. He turned his now-awake daughter around to face him. He looked at her golden eyes, which looked up at him intently. He simply pat her on the head slightly, causing her to smile.

"Proud of you." Stein grinned.

**A/N: Aw, he's proud of her already :) Schwaah.**


	4. Miss Marie's Return

**A/N: Dedicating this chapter to my sock drawer. This chapter's got some SoulxLiz, if you squint.**

**Oh, oh, oh, read awwy-zee's stuff. DOOOOO IIIIITTTT. Yes, you. You there. Read it.**

* * *

><p><em>~Stitches – 9 months old~<em>

_I never thought this day would come. But now it's here. And I'm worried._

_It's not that I don't think Stein can take care of Stitches. I know he can. It's not even leaving her with someone else that bothers me. After all, I left her with Spirit._

_But I'm officially going back to Shibusen tomorrow. Stein is looking after Stitches; Naigus said she would take care of her but I want to wait a little bit longer. _

_I don't know why I'm worried. It's ridiculous. I've tried deep breathing, I've tried relaxation, I've tried everything under the sun. But I can't seem to shake that feeling. Stein will take care of her. I know that. _

_It might be because she's started teething. She'll only gnaw on one of two things; her favourite teething ring or any part of my hand that's accessible. She seems to tolerate it better now, though. We got her some of that teething gel, which she really seems to… like. It's weird._

_I'm rambling, aren't I? It's because I'm nervous. Writing about it isn't going to help. I'm going to go and get some sleep. _

_Marie x_

* * *

><p>"Marie, stop panicking." Stein said, his hands placed firmly on the shoulders of the fair haired deathscythe. The panic attack which had hit Marie wasn't too severe, but Marie wouldn't move from the spot she was stuck in. The bathroom was an odd place to be giving a pep talk.<p>

"But…but…" Marie said, her eyes filling with tears. Stein sighed.

"Marie. You will be fine. Stitches will be fine. We will all be fine." Stein said, firmly yet quietly to Marie.

"I…I know. I know… I know, don't I?" Marie asked, fretting once again.

"Yes, you do know. Now, come on, you don't want to be late." Stein said, letting Marie go.

"No…No, I don't." Marie said, taking a deep breath out.

"You are going to be fine, Marie." Stein said. The blonde sighed, turning to look in the mirror. She tugged at the bottom of her blouse. She still hadn't lost all of the weight she had gained during the pregnancy. Marie wasn't overweight, by any stretch of the imagination. But the little extra weight was bothering her.

"Do I look okay?" Marie asked, her face uncomfortable. She adjusted her eyepatch and pulled it over her cheekbone slightly. Stein pulled the hair away from Marie's neck, wrapped his muscular arms around her waist and blew hot air underneath her jawbone.

"That's _not_ an answer." Marie remarked, though she did tilt her head to the side to allow Stein better access.

"Well… I'm hardly an impartial observer, am I? But, if you're asking me _specifically_…" Stein said, quietly, kissing her in the same spot he blew on before. Marie writhed slightly against his grip.

"Stein… _Stein_, I have to go… _Ste-ein_…" Marie whined slightly, though she really wasn't fighting much.

Alright, she wasn't fighting at all.

Though Marie's cries may not have stopped Stein, the cries of their daughter did. Stein and Marie bolted their heads up. It wasn't a hungry or a tired cry; it was a pained cry. Stein swiftly let go of Marie and she quickly made her way to Stitches' room.

She ran to her daughter's crib as she saw that she had a large red mark on her forehead and tears streaming down her face. Stitches had begun to grab onto things to pull herself onto her feet, and she must have smacked her head on one of the bars. Stein walked behind Marie and watched Marie tend to their daughter.

"Oh, Stitches, honey…" Marie said, pulling the little girl out of the crib and holding her against her chest. The girl snivelled and pressed herself as close to her mother as possible.

"Ma-ma…" Stitches managed to choke out. Marie held the girl back in front of her face.

"Wait, did she just-?" Stein asked.

"I-I think so…" Marie said, a grin appearing on her face. She turned to Stein, who smiled back at her.

"Come on, give her here. You're going to be late if you don't get going soon." Stein said. Marie nodded and handed the baby to him. She was still upset, but Stein calmed her, like he usually did. Marie kissed Stein on the cheek and kissed her daughter on the forehead.

"I do trust you, Stein. I just-" Marie started.

"I know you do. We'll be fine." Stein said, smiling at Marie. Marie nodded and turned to leave. Stein sighed as her heard the front door open and shut. He looked at Stitches, handing her a teething ring.

She'd cut her two front teeth at about the same time, and that was painful, not to mention hard to watch. But, now they would come through with not much trouble at all, as long as Stitches had her teething ring to gnaw on.

"I love your mother, but she worries too much." Stein said.

All he got in return was a gummy grin around the teething ring, a gurgle and some spit.

* * *

><p>"Marie-sensei!" almost all of the class chorused as Marie walked back into the Shibusen classroom for the first time in about a year.<p>

"It's good to see you all again." Marie smiled, looking up at all of the familiar faces. It was nice being able to see them again without worrying about headaches, nausea or dizziness.

"You're not pregnant anymore?" A boy asked. Liz looked over at him, an eyebrow raised.

"Of course she's not pregnant anymore, you idiot. We got _told_ about her baby." She remarked. The boy snarled at her.

"No, we got told about Doctor Stein's baby." The boy replied, quietly. Liz turned to the rest of her group.

"_Is he serious?_" she mouthed. Liz turned to the boy once again.

"They're the _same baby_, you dumbass." Liz remarked. Soul grinned at her, his shark-like teeth bared.

"That…was _so_ hot." Soul remarked, sitting back and crossing his arms. The older young woman turned to him.

"In your dreams, Eater." She said, taking out a nail file. Patti giggled. Soul recoiled slightly.

"Class! Can we not do this on my first day back? It was hard enough leaving my daughter this morning." Marie said, thinking back to the words her daughter had uttered. The class all adjusted in their seats to focus on the teacher. Marie smiled at the class.

"Good morning, class. I'm glad to be back."

* * *

><p>The day at Shibusen was relatively stress-free for Marie. Other than the questions she had to answer for some of the students, she didn't have much to do at all. She eventually got home that afternoon and, although she had a good day, was incredibly glad when she saw the back of her little girl, playing on the mat. She smiled and walked over to her. She heard running water.<p>

Marie walked up behind her daughter and picked her up. However, her face turned to horror as she saw her daughter's face.

"_Stein?_" Marie yelled, her face set in horror. Stein quickly made his way from the bathroom over to Marie, a pair of tracksuit pants his only covering.

"Marie?" Stein asked. Marie turned around her baby daughter and showed Stein her face. Stein sighed.

"_What did you do?_" Marie exclaimed. Along the left side of her daughter's face, a long stitch marred her features.

"Marie, I-" Stein began.

"Franken Stein, I am _never_ going to forgive you! I thought you'd changed, but-" Marie stopped as Stein wiped at Stitches' face. Marie glared at him and turned her daughter around. The stitch had smudged.

"Marie. It's your eyeliner pencil. You really couldn't tell?" Stein remarked. Marie's face softened as she handed Stitches to Stein.

"Oh, my… Stein, why did you do that? You scared me! Oh, and now you're going to think I don't trust you, and you're going to tell me to leave, and you're-" Marie was cut off by Stein.

"Marie, calm down. I shouldn't have drawn on her face it the first place. But, you should have seen her face when I showed her the stitches." Stein smirked. Marie's face softened.

"I should have looked closer. I know you wouldn't have done anything to her. I'm sorry I didn't trust you. I'm an idiot." Marie said, sadly.

"It's alright, Marie. Regular people wouldn't trust a guy who looks like me in the first place." Stein said. Marie giggled.

"No. I suppose not." Marie said, leaning over and taking Stitches from Stein.

"Mama…" Stitches giggled. Marie smiled.

"She said it again." Marie said, brushing her daughter's hair out of her face. It was getting rather long. It was at the point where Marie could put it into one of those fountain type pigtails on top of her head. Marie stretched her neck.

"She did." Stein smiled. Marie looked up at Stein.

"I know that you've been teaching her to say 'Mama'." Marie said, looking down slightly. Stein looked up. He could have sworn Marie had never heard him encouraging their daughter to say that.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Stein said, looking Marie straight in the eye. Marie smiled at the man. His modesty astounded her sometimes. He was only ever pretentious when he wanted to prove a point to Marie. That, however, was a rarity, and Stein was usually a reserved, unassuming kind of guy.

"Why were you in the bathroom and she was out here?" Marie asked. Stein sighed.

"She threw up on me and I was rinsing it off. Hence the shirtlessness." Stein said. Marie couldn't help but bite her bottom lip – Stein would often walk around shirtless, but it was only when he brought it to her attention that she found herself blushing like a schoolgirl.

"Well, I'm going to go and take a shower." Marie said. Stein nodded, taking Stitches from her grasp and turning her to face him. Marie stood at the doorway of the bathroom and just watched for a second.

"Good girl." Stein said, kissing Stitches on the forehead and taking her to her crib. Marie smiled sweetly and waited until Stein left the room to turn the water on in the shower. She smirked to herself as she got undressed.

"Oh, Ste-ein?" Marie called.

"Yeah?" Stein asked.

"You look like you need a shower. Do you need a shower?" Marie asked in an almost theatrical fashion. Stein looked over at the doorway. As he did, Marie's bra flew out of the door and onto the ground. Stein gulped deliberately.

"Yes. Yes, I do." Stein replied, standing from his seat and swiftly making his way to the bathroom.

**A/N: LOL sex. There's been an awful lot of sex in the beginning of this story, hasn't there? Oh well, you've been warned. You haven't? Well, consider yourself warned now. DERE BE SEXYTIMES. Now that's out of the way.**

**And, I just like to presume that Stein walks around half-naked most of the time, only because the air conditioning in the laboratory isn't great. It's not shameless fanservicing, I swear.**

**Oh, and apparently, 'shirtlessness' isn't a word. WELL, IT IS NOW, WORD PROCESSOR. IT IS NOW.**


	5. Lightning Strikes Twice?

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to the people who make those tiny fluffy baby chickens that we see at Easter. I don't know why, they're just cool :)**

* * *

><p><em>~Stitches – 1 year (and a bit)~<em>

_Wow._

_It's been a whole year since Stitches was born. She turned one just the other week, and it was amazing. She's talking a lot more now, though she still has her own baby language. She's also starting to walk around, still holding onto things though._

_I can't believe that Stein and I will have been together for two years in just a little while. I still don't know what we are… partners? Because 'boyfriend and girlfriend' sounds silly. Kid and Maka are 'boyfriend and girlfriend.' And we're about 15 years older than they are. _

_Oh, well. That's nothing to worry about now. I've got to go. I'm feeling a little bit headache-y at the moment. It should be my time of the month soon, so that might be it. I'm going to go and lie down. Maybe extract a massage out of that 'boyfriend' of mine. _

_See, it sounds wrong._

_Marie x_

* * *

><p>Marie paced around the lounge room of her house, biting her nails.<p>

"No. I can't be… can I?" Marie asked Azusa, who was sitting down on the seat across from her.

"I don't know, Marie! You're the one who should know." Azusa exclaimed.

"I can't deal with it again!" Marie said, running her fingers through her hair.

"You'd think that, after what happened with Stitches, you'd be careful." Azusa said.

"We usually are! It was one time, and now I… I don't know." Marie fretted.

"Well, why weren't you careful?" Azusa asked. Marie sighed and took a deep breath in.

"You don't understand, Yumi," Marie began to explain, "We've got a child now. It's hard enough to find time to do _it,_ let alone fumbling around for protection. Haven't you heard of being caught up in the moment?" Marie asked. Azusa sighed and pushed her glasses up over the bridge of her nose, shaking her head.

"Thanks for sharing," Azusa cringed before regaining her composure, "Well, when was your last…" Azusa began, but Marie looked over at her before she could finish.

"Oh… I don't know. Yumi, I don't know!" Marie exclaimed.

"Well, try to think. Calm down." Azusa looked over at her.

"I have to make sure." Marie said, grabbing Azusa's hand and dragging her out the door.

"Wh-Where are we going?" Azusa asked.

"DeathMart." Marie replied, insistently.

* * *

><p>"Where are they?" Marie asked, walking up and down the aisles of the DeathMart.<p>

"Marie, stop, calm down, they're here." Azusa said, pointing to the pregnancy tests.

"Oh, good." Marie said, looking at the wide variety of boxes.

"Next to the condoms. Ironic, really." Azusa said.

"What?" Marie asked.

"Nothing." Azusa said. Marie picked out a few of the brands and placed them in a basket. She then walked casually down the aisle, but was faced by an awfully familiar looking redhead.

"Spirit?" Marie asked, shoving the basket in Azusa's hands.

"Wha-" Azusa asked.

"Ah, Marie, Azusa. What are you doing here?" Spirit asked them.

"Oh, we're just getting these for Yumi. She thinks she might be… y'know." Marie said, quietly.

"Mar-_oof_!" Azusa was hit in the side by Marie.

"Really? You, Committee, you think you're knocked up? Never thought I'd see the day. Well, good luck." Spirit said, patting Azusa on the shoulder and walking off. Azusa glared at her fair-haired friend. Marie looked back, a worried look on her face.

"You owe me, _big time_." Azusa scowled, giving the basket back to Marie.

"I know. I know." Marie said, taking the basket back and lining up in the queue. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. Azusa placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, Marie…" Azusa said. Marie turned around, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"No, it's okay. M-maybe I am pregnant. So what? Stitches is… Stitches is gorgeous. We love her. So… if I'm pregnant, I'm pregnant. Right?" Marie asked. Azusa sighed.

"Yes." She nodded.

* * *

><p>"How long has it been now?" Marie asked, her eyes squeezed shut tightly.<p>

"It's nearly been three minutes." Azusa said, holding Stitches in her arms. Stitches grabbed the arms of Azusa's glasses, tilting them from side to side and giggling. Azusa's temperament changed around Marie's daughter; she was actually…friendly? Azusa smiled at the little girl before going back to her nervous best friend.

"Can…can I look now?" Marie asked.

"In three…two…one." Azusa said, looking on nervously for her best friend.

"Here goes." Marie said, holding the two small tests she had taken up and opening her eyes. She gave out a sigh.

"Negative. On both counts." She smiled. She would have been alright either way, but it was nice to know that she wasn't going to have to go through nine months of symptoms again.

"Oh, thank goodness." Azusa said. Marie threw the tests in the dustbin and took Stitches off of Azusa.

"Yeah. Although, if the next one would be as gorgeous as this one, I'd be quite content to have another." Marie said.

"Well, unfortunately, I'm not the one you have to consult about that one." Azusa said. Marie smiled.

"Although, I'm not sure why I've been feeling so odd." Marie said, her face quizzical.

"Well, it was Stitches' first birthday just the other week. Could just be stress about that." Azusa said.

"I suppose." Marie sighed.

"Well, I'd better be off. I've got a da-a meeting to go to." Azusa said. Marie turned to her.

"What did you say?" Marie asked.

"A meeting. See you later, Marie." Azusa said. Marie smirked to herself and watched as Azusa left for her 'meeting.'

"Your Aunt Yumi's going on a date, isn't she?" Marie giggled to Stitches.

"Aunny!" Stitches smiled, the few teeth she possessed bared. Her eloquent pronunciation made Marie smile.

"Papa will be home soon, won't he?" Marie asked. Stitches clapped her hands together in delight.

"Papa!" she exclaimed, her cheeks rosy. She had a special bond with her father; you could tell they were very similar souls. Though, when Stitches was with Marie, you could tell they were similar too.

"Alright, let's get you cleaned up before Papa gets home." Marie said, walking over to the bathroom with Stitches. She threw her hands up in the air, rather coincidentally, and yelled out.

"Papa!" Stitches said, her hands still raised up above her head. Marie couldn't help but laugh at that.

"You're adorable. Now, come on."

* * *

><p>Stein was sat up in bed, his hands propped behind his head. Marie was rested on his chest, her eyes closed lightly. She wrapped her arms around his chest and held him close. It was nice having him home after the day's predicaments. Stein looked down at her, took his glasses off and turned off the main light, the small dim light on the alarm clock the only illumination.<p>

Stein laid down behind Marie, his hand wrapped around her waist.

"I saw them, you know." Stein said, quietly. Marie's eyes bolted open.

"What?" Marie asked in a whisper.

"I saw the pregnancy tests in the bin." Stein clarified. Marie's eyes melted in defeat and

"Oh, that." Marie sniffed.

"That." Stein said.

"It was negative, anyway. I was just feeling a little sick and I'm a little late. I was just worried." Marie said.

"I know. But… I need to know something." Stein said. Marie worriedly replied.

"Okay…" she said, tentatively.

"You can tell me anything. You know that, right?" Stein asked.

"Of course I do!" Marie said, exclaiming, though still speaking softly.

"Okay. Because if you ever have a scare like that again… I'm here." Stein said. Marie took a deep breath in. She turned over and looked at Stein.

"What's wrong with you? Are you sick?" Marie asked.

"What do you mean?" Stein asked. Marie looked over at his dimly lit face.

"Because…you've never said anything like that to me. Ever." Marie said. Stein grinned sadistically. He took Marie by the waist and pulled her towards him.

"I've also never told you that I would be quite content to stay in bed and make love to you for days on end, but that doesn't mean it's not true." Stein said, pressing his forehead up against Marie's, his hands gripping her hips. Marie began to breathe heavily and couldn't help but smile.

"Oh, I see how it is. So, I've never told you that I'd love nothing more than to take you up on that offer, but that doesn't mean it's not true. Am I doing it right?" Marie asked. Stein grinned and nodded, running his finger around the curve of Marie's hip.

"Impressive." Stein replied. Marie smiled widely and clamped her fingers around Stein's screw.

"We could start now." she whispered. Stein, though taken slightly aback, was not complaining.

"You're terrible." Stein growled.

"Are you saying no?" Marie whispered.

"Of course not." Stein grinned, pulling Marie down on top of him and the covers over the both of them.

**A/N: Alright, even I'm going to admit; Stein and Marie have had a helluva lot of sex in the past chapters. Maybe the next chapter will be sexless.**

**LOL jks, probably not.**

**I'm sorry updates have been weird and irregular... I'm getting to it :P**


	6. Running This Lab

**A/N: This chapter ****is dedicated to anyone who's seen a one and a half year old exploring their new walking skills. Because it's funny. As long as it's not your kid.**

* * *

><p><em>~Stitches – 1 year, 5 months~<em>

_Oh, Death, she's a climber._

_She gets on everything! She was sucking on the corner of Stein's computer monitor the other day! Why do you even do that? She's got perfectly good toys to play with. Although, we did catch her on Stein's chair the other day. She got herself stuck and fell on her tummy, and was spinning. Stein and I walked in and she was just…there. It was adorable._

_But that's beside the point! She really needs to stop getting into things. I always double check that the rooms with Stein's equipment in them are locked. Because if I get home and my baby is playing with a scalpel, Franken Stein will not know what hit him._

_Well, he will. It's going to be a hammer. A.K.A me._

_(Should probably put that I love him very much and that he's a brilliant partner and father in here, just in case he ever steals this from me again because he's taller than me. I love you, honey.)_

_Marie x_

* * *

><p>"Where did you even get that?" Marie said, chasing after her daughter. Stein stood in front of Stitches, cornering her.<p>

"Come here." Stein said, slightly exasperatedly.

"No." Stitches said, defiantly. Stein rolled his eyes. He walked up behind the little girl and picked her up with one arm, taking her mother's bra out of her hands with the other. Stein held Stitches in one arm and gave Marie the undergarment in the other.

"I think this is yours." Stein said. Marie sighed and folded it over her arm. She gave Stitches a stern look.

"That's very naughty, Stitches." Marie said, agitatedly. She didn't like telling off her daughter, but this behaviour couldn't be tolerated. Marie then looked up at Stein.

"How did she even get in the wardrobe?" Marie asked.

"She's like a monkey." Stein said.

"Monkey!" Stitches flailed. Stein rolled his eyes.

"You need a nap." Stein said, turning the little girl around. As Stein said those words, tears formed in her golden chocolate eyes.

"No! Papa, no!" she cried, trying to get out of her father's grasps. She failed, however, and Stein took her to her room. He sat down with her on the chair in the corner of the room.

"Papa! Papa, no!" Stitches continued to say, over and over again, beginning to choke on tears. Stein placed his hand on her back and rubbed it.

"Shh, shh…" Stein said. The little girl eventually relaxed, leaning back against her father's chest.

"Do you want me to read you a book?" Stein asked.

"Book." Stitches smiled contently. Stein pulled out some nonsensical book, 'Princess Sparkles and The Magical Castle of Love.'

"What is this?" Stein raised an eyebrow, flicking through the book. Psychedelically coloured pictures and ridiculous words graced the pages. Stein sighed, holding the book in front of his daughter.

"Right. You sure you want me to read this?" Stein asked.

"Book." Stitches said, pressing her hand to the page tiredly.

"Fine, fine. Alright, let's see…" Stein said, pressing his glasses up over the bridge of his nose.

"Alright. Princess Sparkles and her best friend, Prince…Courage? Really?" Stein asked. Stitches sighed.

"Read it, Papa." she said, still restless. Stein sighed, shook his head and continued.

"So, Princess Sparkles and her best friend, Prince Courage, were going into the forest of… Scariness? Oh, that's ridiculous. I can't do this." Stein said, shutting the book and placing it to the side. Luckily, Stitches was already asleep. Stein turned her around gently, and she snuggled up to his chest, pressing her head against his neck and latching onto his back with her arms. Stein stood up and went to put her down in the cot.

"Come on, Stitches. In…your cot…" Stein said, but Stitches only stirred for a second or two.

"_Papa_." Stitches said, before falling asleep again. Stein sighed and took a blanket out of Stitches' cot, walking out of Stitches' room and lounging on the couch, the blanket covering Stitches.

"She wouldn't let go, hey?" Marie asked, taking a seat at the other end of the couch.

"Nope." Stein said, brushing Stitches' hair out of her face. Marie smiled.

"You look very natural with that toddler, Stein." Marie said. Stein raised an eyebrow and looked over at Marie.

"I can safely say I never thought anyone would say that to me." Stein said quietly, looking up at Marie.

"Well, I'm saying it now." Marie smiled. Stein shook his head. The little girl who laid on his chest yawned, baring the few teeth she possessed. Stein smiled at her.

"We make cute babies." Marie said, her hands flying up to her mouth as she did so.

"Wait, what did you say?" Stein chuckled.

"Forget it. I don't-" Marie started.

"I love it when you do this." Stein said. Marie glared at him.

"What?" Marie asked.

"When you try to deny something that you know everyone knows you said or did anyway." Stein smirked.

"Oh, it's good to know _that's_ what you love about me." Marie nodded.

"Well, there are a lot of other things I love about you, but a lot of them are hardly appropriate to say with a one-and-a-half year old in the room." Stein grinned. Marie giggled slightly. Her face then turned more stoic.

"Stein…?" Marie began.

"Marie?" Stein replied.

"I've got to ask you something." Marie started.

"Go on…" Stein said, patting his daughter on the back.

"You know our daughter, right?" Marie asked. Stein raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, I think I've met her once or twice, yes." Stein said. Marie was obviously nervous.

"Do you… do you wish that… have you ever… do you regret having a baby? Because, I mean, it was only going to be a one-night thing. It wasn't going to be permanent, and then…" Marie fretted. Stein took a deep breath in.

"Come here." Stein said. Marie raised an eyebrow but obliged, walking around to the end of the lounge.

"Yeah?" Marie asked. Stein pulled the blanket back and revealed their daughter's face. She was sleeping, half her face buried in her father's shirt. Her soft eyelids covered her eyes; the ones which were like her mother's, and her little nose was aligned with her slightly pouty lips.

"To answer your question," Stein said, taking one hand and placing it against the back of his daughter's head, "Not even for a second." Stein said. Marie smiled.

"I-I didn't think you did. I just… I had to hear you say it." Marie said. It was part of Marie's protective nature; which sometimes bordered on over-protective. Stein had come to accept that, just as Marie had come to accept his flaws.

"I understand. Just let me know next time you need me to say it." Stein said, standing up slowly with Stitches and walking over to her bedroom. He managed to lower her into the crib this time, and she sighed contentedly. He tucked her in down the bottom of the crib and turned the small crank on the skull mobile they had received from Justin. It began to spin slowly. Stein looked at Stitches once more and walked out of the room.

"Stein… you have to come in here." Marie called from the bedroom. Stein cocked an eyebrow and went to investigate, poking his head around his doorframe.

"Oh, lord." Stein said, seeing the various items strewn around the floor which were _supposed_ to be in their cupboard. Marie was knelt on the ground, folding up clothes which had been pulled off of shelves. Stein knelt down next to her, helping her pick up all of the items.

"How did she even-" Stein began, before something rendered him speechless. Marie glanced over at him as she held up a piece of her clothing. A blush ran over her face and she looked to the ground.

"I didn't know you owned anything like this." Stein smirked. It was an incredibly short, black miniskirt. Stein had never seen her wear skirts like _that,_ much to his disappointment. Marie grabbed the article of clothing and folded it over her arm.

"I haven't seen this for ages. Must have accidentally moved it in here." Marie smirked.

"You must have." Stein replied.

"I'll get rid of it. It probably doesn't even fit me." Marie said, standing up. Stein tugged at the bottom of her blouse from his crouched position.

"10 bucks says it does." Stein grinned at her. Marie glared at him.

"You're on." Marie said, walking out of the room and taking the skirt with her.

Stein chuckled slightly and walked out to wait for Marie in the lounge room. After a good couple of minutes, Marie had answered the question as to whether or not she could fit into the tiny miniskirt.

"Stein?" Marie asked. Stein turned around to see Marie leaning against the doorframe, one foot pressed up against it, the other on the ground. Marie's legs were bare, and seemed to go on forever. The miniskirt was up around her waist, terminating above the middle of her thighs.

"I owe you ten bucks." Marie shrugged.

Stein let out the breath he realised he'd been holding ever since Marie had stepped out of the bathroom. He virtually leapt to his feet and walked over to Marie, glancing her up and down. He walked right up to her, looked her in the eye and wrapped one of his arms around her waist, pulling them together. He grinned at her, slightly sadistically.

"I'm sure we can arrange some other method of payment."

**A/N: I tried! I really tried to keep it sexless. Do you know how hard I tried? I failed. Hopefully the next couple of chapters will be more about Stitches. I think. I may as well put warnings on the chapters with no sexual references. I'm terrible :P **


	7. Letting Go Slowly

**A/N: This chapter has been planned for a while, so I hope it's not too bad. **

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><p><em>~Stitches – 1 year, 10 months~<em>

_Finally. Stein and I have decided that we're going to leave Stitches with Mira at Shibusen. We've been teaching one-after-another for nearly the past year. I can't remember the last time we taught together. _

_Mira's really quite excited. She does love kids. And she's going to try and keep Stitches occupied for the day. I've tried to tell Stitches about it, but I don't think that she quite gets it. She knows that Aunt Mira is going to take care of her, but I don't know if she quite gets that Stein and I aren't going to be there for the entire day._

_Maybe she does. Well, I guess we'll find out tomorrow. Stein and I have been together for two and a half years, now. Two and a half years since my gorgeous little accident occurred. Sure, she wasn't planned, but she's more than I could have ever dreamed of._

_Just a side note, Stein's a genius. I can see you're reading over my shoulder, honey. Alright, I'm off __to punish him__. I wrote that and then realised how wrong it sounds (and Stein laughed at me). So, scratch that. Alright, goodnight!_

_Marie x  
><em>

* * *

><p>"No! Papa, no go! No go!" Stitches exclaimed, holding onto Stein for dear life. Stein sighed.<p>

"Come on, Stitches. Papa's got to go to work." Stein said, holding onto the little girl and walking over to Naigus.

"Stitches, honey, come here to Aunt Mira." Naigus said, slipping her arm in between Stein's chest and Stitches and trying to pry her off of her father.

"No! Papa…Papa no go!" Stitches cried. The little girl usually spoke with a little more clarity than that, but she was very upset. Stein's face contorted in pain as Stitches grabbed a handful of his hair at the exact instant Naigus tried to pull the little girl into her arms.

"Stein? Are you okay?" Naigus asked, noticing the scientist's pained expression. Naigus let go and so did Stitches, returning to wrapping her arms around her father's neck.

"Mmhm." Stein said, through gritted teeth, rubbing his now sore scalp. Marie poked her head around the door of the infirmary.

"Is she being fussy?" Marie asked. Stein and Naigus turned to her.

"You think?" Naigus asked.

"Sorry, sorry. Give her here for a minute." Marie said. She managed to get Stitches to let go of Stein, only to have her daughter's grip tightened on her in a similar fashion.

"Stitches…Stitches, baby. Mama and Papa have to go to work, honey. Aunt Mira is going to take care of you, honey, and Mama and Papa will come and see you when we can, okay?" Marie asked. Stitches looked at her mother, her eyes red and puffy.

"You come see me?" Stitches asked, sniffling.

"Of course we will, baby girl. But, for now, you've got to stay with Aunt Mira, okay?" Marie asked.

"O-Okay, Mama." Stitches said. Marie put Stitches down and persuaded her to go to Naigus. Naigus knelt down and began to talk to Stitches.

"You want to see where your papa fixes up people who get hurt?" Naigus asked. Stitches smiled slightly.

"Okay." She said, walking over to Naigus and taking her hand. Naigus stood up and walked Stitches over to Stein's desk. Stein smirked.

"Alright, you ready to go, Marie?" Stein asked.

"No. But take me away anyway." Marie said, looking over at her daughter who was currently sitting on one of the infirmary desk chairs and spinning around, giggling inanely.

"Alright." Stein said, taking Marie's hand and pulling her out of the infirmary.

"She'll be fine, right?" Marie asked.

"Mira will take good care of her. She will be absolutely fine." Stein said.

* * *

><p>Stein and Marie had a relatively stress-free morning. Marie eventually got over her nervousness about leaving Stitches and had been fine with teaching. After recess, Marie began conducting a lesson about Soul's Resonance.<p>

"Alright, class. So, if you try to resonate and you cannot, there can be several reasons for this. One of them is-" Marie was cut off by a familiar voice.

"Mama!" Stitches exclaimed, her two silver pigtails bouncing as she ran over and clutched onto Marie's leg.

"Stitches!" Marie said, looking down.

The entire class looked at the little girl who stared intently up at them. She blinked up at them twice before waving at them all.

"Hello!" she greeted them with raucous laughter, knowing that she was doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing.

All of the girls and a lot of the boys in the class 'aww'ed and most of them waved back. Stein walked over to his daughter and picked her up, looking at her. He turned away from the class and walked over to Marie with her.

"Did you run away from Aunt Mira?" Stein asked, quietly. Stitches smiled.

"Maybe…" she giggled. Stein rolled his eyes.

"You know you have to stay with Aunt Mira, don't you?" Stein asked, sternly.

"B-b-but…" Stitches began. Naigus walked in the door.

"There she is. I'm _so_ sorry, I just…" Naigus said.

"It's alright, Mira. Baby steps. Stein and I can keep her in the classroom for the rest of the day." Marie said. Naigus sighed.

"You sure?" Naigus asked. Marie nodded. Naigus nodded back and walked out of the classroom.

"Alright, class, for those of you who aren't acquainted, this is our daughter, Stitches." Marie said, standing next to Stein. The class murmured and smiled, all of them still smiling at the very cute little girl. Stein sat with Stitches on his lap whilst Marie went back to teaching the lesson.

"Papa." Stitches said.

"Yes?" Stein replied, quietly. Stitches giggled slightly and placed her hands over her mouth.

"Nothing." She giggled. Stein smirked and rolled his eyes.

"Okay then." Stein replied, shaking his head. Marie walked over to them as she set the class to work. Marie knelt down in front of Stitches.

"Hi, there. How are you?" Marie asked, brushing her fingers against her daughter's rosy cheek. Stitches smiled sweetly, brushing the ticklish touch of her mother's fingers away.

"I good, Mama." She said, sitting up, her silver pigtails bouncing and her fringe sitting just above her dark gold eyes.

"I'm going to go and take her outside, see if the fresh air'll tire her out." Stein said, placing Stitches on the ground and taking her hand. Marie nodded and watched as Stein left. Stitches dug her feet into the ground, stopping her father.

"What's wrong?" Stein asked. Stitches turned back to the class.

"Bye!" she yelled. The class looked over at her and laughed, causing her to grin widely. They all said goodbye back to her and she continued to walk out of the classroom. Stein shook his head and smiled again.

She wasn't even two yet and she had them under her thumb.

As they walked through the hallways, Stitches began to yawn. Stein looked down at her as she began to walk slower and slower, even tripping slightly at some points. Eventually, she could take no more.

"Papa?" Stitches yawned.

"Yes?" Stein asked, stopping and turning to his daughter.

"Pick me up, pwease." She said, her lisp showing slightly as she raised her hands and opened and closed her fists impatiently.

Stein nodded and picked the little girl up, placing one hand under her legs, the other on her back. She gave a noise of content as she rested her head on Stein's shoulder, closing her eyes.

Stein noticed her state of alertness and took the nearest route back to the infirmary. He didn't even get to the front doors of Shibusen and she was already asleep.

A job well done.

* * *

><p>"Hey, baby? Stitches, it's time to go." Marie said, brushing the hair out of her daughter's face. Stitches stirred and her eyes cracked open slightly. She let out a coo of delight as she saw both of her parents standing over her. Stitches raised her hands and grabbed at the air in front of her face.<p>

"Come on." Stein smirked, gently picking up the awakening girl and placing her over his shoulder. She babbled slightly, looking at her mother over her father's shoulder. Marie pushed Stitches' fringe out of her face, Stitches sighing at her mother's soft touch.

"Thank you so much for this, Mira." Marie said to Naigus.

"It was my pleasure." Naigus said, taking Stitches' hand in hers.

"Well, I guess we'll see you tomorrow." Marie smiled. Naigus nodded and watched as the little family walked out of the infirmary. By the time Stein had walked out of the door, Stitches insisted that she be put down. Stein obliged and put the little girl down. She grabbed Stein's hand in her left and Marie's hand in her right.

"Mama?" Stitches asked.

"Yes, Stitches?" Marie asked.

"I seen where Papa work today." She beamed, looking up at her mother expectantly.

"Did you? Oh, my goodness." Marie said, looking over at Stein.

"I did." she smiled even wider. Marie glanced over at Stein, givng him a small smile, before looking back down at the silver-haired toddler.

"So, what else did you do today?" Marie asked. Stitches took a breath in.

"_Well_, we did go to see Maka at lunch, and we did see her friends!" Stitches blinked u ather mother, amber eyes wide. Marie laughed.

"Oh, did you? Wow!" Marie said. Stitches then gasped.

"Oh! _And,_ I sitted on Papa's chair, Mama!" Stitches said, her smile wide. Marie's mouth popped open as she looked down at her daughter, feigning shock.

"You got to sit in Papa's chair? Even I've never sat in Papa's chair! You must be special!" Marie exclaimed.

"I'm special." Stitches smiled up at her parents.

**A/N: She's special :) I don't know about you, but I think Stitches is kinda adorable. Even if I do say so myself. **

**And aren't you proud. That chapter. Completely sexless. NO-O-O SEX-Y-TIMES.**

**Sorry I've taken so long to update!**


	8. Someone's Not Well

**A/N: This chapter is… blah di blah blah.**

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><p><em>~Stitches – 2 years old~<em>

_This entry isn't going to be very long. Stitches is sick. She's got a temperature and she's vomiting. That'd be right, though. We just moved her into her own bed, because she started to climb out of her cot, and now she's sick. _

_It was hard enough to get her into her own bed; now she's going to be put off of it. Poor thing._

_Oh, goodness me. I should go and see what's happening._

_Marie x_

* * *

><p>"Papa… make it better…" Stitches complained, lying against her father in her new bed.<p>

"I'm trying, I'm trying." Stein said, leaning the sick little girl against his chest, holding a wet towel against her forehead.

"Papa… I feel sick…" Stitches whimpered, taking a fistful of her father's shirt and burying her head further into his chest.

"You've not got anything in your stomach. You aren't going to throw up." Stein said, stroking the hair on his daughter's head.

"Uh huh!" Stitches said, grabbing the bucket by her side of the bed and sticking her head into it.

"No, you're not." Stein said, pulling the bucket away from her and placing it on his side of the bed. Tears streamed down Stitches' face as her mother walked into the room.

"Mama…" Stitches cried, throwing her arms in the air at her mother. Marie picked her up and held her close to her chest.

"Oh, baby… you're really burning up, aren't you?" Marie asked. Stitches nodded sadly.

"Mama, make it stop." Stitches nuzzled into Marie's neck. Stein's head bolted up at that phrase.

Make it stop.

It had been nearly three years since the madness had enveloped his entire being and Marie had stopped it. That's what he asked her to do. He asked her to make it stop. Marie looked over at Stein, his eyes fixed in thought.

"Shh, baby, shh…" Marie said, rocking the toddler. She walked over to Stein and looked him dead in the eyes.

"We'll talk when she settles, okay?" Marie asked, taking one of Stein's hands in her own, their snivelling daughter over her shoulder. She could tell when he needed to talk. It was just a matter of getting him to do so. Stein nodded monotonously and stood up.

"Give her here." Stein said, quietly. Marie nodded and gave the still crying, burning-hot little girl to Stein. He brushed her hair away from her sticky, sweaty face and quietly leant over to whisper in her ear.

"Stitches, listen to me. Papa's a doctor, okay? And he knows that, if you go to sleep, you'll feel a lot better tomorrow, okay? So, can you do that for me? Can you try to sleep?" Stein whispered, the little girl still sniffling. She turned her head towards her father's.

"Okay." She choked out. Stein nodded and laid the little girl down on her pillow, pulling just a sheet over her. Stein leant down and kissed her on the forehead.

"I'll make it stop." Stein said, resting his hand on her chest lightly.

Marie looked on as she realised why Stein was so affected by his daughter's comment. She then proceeded to help Stein lay pillows around their daughter's bed, in case she rolled out.

Marie looked on at her sick daughter, who had now fallen asleep, and tried not to cry. However, her attempts failed and she placed her hand over her mouth, tears falling freely from her eyes. Her arm stretched out and grasped at the back of Stein's labcoat.

"Stein…" Marie said, in barely a whisper. Stein turned to the blonde and dropped his eyes to meet her uncovered one.

"Marie… Marie. She's going to be fine." Stein said, his arms enveloping her shoulders and his hand pulling her head to his chest. She buried her head into his chest further and continued to sob.

"I know…" she sobbed. Stein held her close and helped Marie out of Stitches' room. Marie lifted her head up and wiped her eyes.

"I'm okay. And I know what you heard in there." Marie said, taking Stein's hand again.

"Marie, it's alright. I'm fine." Stein said, his eyes dropping to the floor.

"No, you're not fine. I can tell you're not fine." Marie said. Stein lifted his head and looked at Marie. He took a deep breath in and began to speak.

"What if… What if my susceptibility to madness is genetic? What if Stitches is like me? What if there's another outbreak of madness?" Stein asked. Marie put her hand on Stein's arm.

"Honey, that's not going to happen." Marie said.

"But how do you know? These are all questions I can't answer until the situation is too far gone to do anything about it." Stein worried. Marie looked on sympathetically.

"Stein, I know you can't prevent it completely. But you're already prepared to fight as hard as you can to combat anything and everything that is going to come even close to hurting our daughter." Marie said. Stein looked down at her.

"But… there are things I can't control." Stein said. Marie laughed.

"It usually takes a father a few more years than this to come to _that _conclusion." She smiled.

"What?" Stein asked.

"Well, a father will usually come to the conclusion that they can't control everything when his daughter gets a boyfriend, or gets pregnant-" Marie started.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop right there. That is _not_ going to happen until she's thirty-two." Stein said. Marie smiled.

"That, right there, is sound fatherhood." Marie said. Stein smirked back at her. Marie was rather good at putting people at ease; even without her wavelength.

"She's going to be fine." Stein kissed Marie's temple before allowing her to settle back at his side.

* * *

><p>The next morning, at about six in the morning, Stitches poked her head around the doorframe of Stein and Marie's bedroom. She looked a lot better; obviously her illness was just a few-day-long virus.<p>

"Mama? Papa?" Stitches asked.

"Stitches?" Stein and Marie asked, slightly drowsily, sitting themselves up in bed. Stein pulled on his glasses and went to get out of bed. Stitches shook her head and pointed to Marie.

"Mama." She said, quietly. Marie looked over at Stein, shrugged, and walked over to get her dressing gown. Marie's hand was taken by her daughter and she took her to her room.

"What's wrong, honey?" Marie asked.

Stitches looked to the ground. Marie saw what she was embarrassed about before she had time to respond. The wet patch on Stitches' bed and on her pyjama bottoms gave it away.

"I sorry, Mama, I didn't mean to, I sorry! I just waked up and I… I so sorry." Stitches said, beginning to cry.

Marie's eyes softened compassionately and she walked over to her daughter, holding out her arms and hugging her tight. She placed her hand on the back of her head and tried to sedate her daughter's cries.

"Stitches, it's okay. You're sick, this happens sometimes. It's okay, sweetie, honestly." Marie said, looking at her daughter.

"B-B-But I did a bad thing." Stitches said, sadly. Marie shook her head, trying to calm her daughter.

"No, honey, you did a good thing. You had an accident and you told me straightaway. Come on, let's get you changed." Marie said, picking up her daughter and holding her close.

Once she had gotten changed, Stitches helped Marie take the sheet off of the bed. Marie picked up the sheet and the pyjama bottoms and went to walk out the door. Stitches tugged at her mother's dressing gown.

"Mama?" Stitches asked. Marie turned around.

"What is it, baby?" Marie asked.

"Pwease don't tell Papa." Stitches said. Marie nodded.

"It's alright, Stitches. It's our secret girls business." Marie said, touching her lightly on the nose. Stitches smiled up at her mother and walked out of the room with her. Stein was waiting outside the door.

"What's wrong?" he asked, scratching his head. Marie smiled down at her daughter and looked back at Stein.

"Sorry. Secret girls business." Marie shrugged. Stein raised an eyebrow as Marie walked off to the laundry, Stitches giggling and smiling at him inanely while she followed her mother. Stein smirked and shook his head. Marie and Stitches eventually came back, Marie kissing Stein on the top of the head and Stitches running to sit on his lap.

"Coffee?" Marie asked, pulling her hair into a bun.

"Thanks." Stein said, pulling his daughter up to sit on him. She looked up at him with expectant eyes. He knew what she wanted him to ask. He smirked and asked the question.

"So, what were you and Mama talking about in there?" Stein asked. Stitches' smile widened and her eyes lit up and she told her father straight.

"Secret girl _biz-nez_." Stitches said, unable to yet say the word 'business' properly.

"Oh, _biz-nez_? Well, in that case, I'd better stop asking." Stein shrugged. Marie looked over at her partner and her daughter and smiled.

"Yeah, Papa, you don't want to get caught up in our _biz-nez_." Marie nodded, handing Stein a beaker of coffee.

"Terrible, terrible _biz-nez_." Stein shook his head. Marie sat down next to Stein, leaning her head on Stein's shoulder.

"So, Stitches. Do you feel better?" Stein asked. Stitches nodded.

"I told you." Stein smirked. Stitches put her arms around Stein's neck and kissed him on the nose.

"Thank you, Papa." she smiled. She then looked over at Marie.

"Papa's a doctor, that's why he knew why I be sick." Stitches said, matter-of-factly. Marie smiled and put her coffee down.

"I know Papa's a doctor. He's a good doctor, isn't he?" Marie asked. Stitches nodded proudly.

"And he's going to help _all_ the people who don't feel good. Isn't you, Papa?" Stitches asked. Stein could only close his eyes and nod.

"If you say I'm going to help all the people, then I guess I'm going to have to, right?" Stein asked. Stitches nodded once more.

"And I can help you help all the people?" Stitches asked, her eyes wide with expectation. Stein smirked.

"Of course you can." he replied.

**A/N: :D Look at that, guys. Another completely sexless chapter! Ain't you proud? I did like that chapter.**


	9. Happy Mother's Day!

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to unicorns.**

* * *

><p><em>~Stitches – 2 years, 4 months~<em>

_I'm not going to lie. I'm really excited for tomorrow._

_My third Mother's Day. It's also the first Mother's Day where Stitches has started acting odd. You know, talking about Mother's Day a lot, like she's trying to hide something._

_She'll just start giggling inanely around me and a couple of nights in a row, she's been sitting next to Stein in our bed. I'll walk in the room and she'll stop talking and press her hands over her mouth._

_She's absolutely adorable. She amazes me every day. And not just her, but Stein too. He cares about her so much. It's weird to see him like this; but at the same time it's amazing. It first started showing when he cared for Rachel after Medusa was defeated. I remember when I first met Stein; the odd little lanky boy with the silver hair who said very little._

_Now he's Stein, the odd soul who's not so lanky anymore and survived madness to take care of me and his daughter. He's still got silver hair and doesn't say much, though._

_Alright, I'd better go. Stitches has found me and she's asking why I'm doing homework._

_She's gorgeous._

_Marie x_

* * *

><p>Marie turned over in her bed. She flung her hand over to where her partner would usually lie. He wasn't there. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, looking over at the clock. It was eight in the morning, a Saturday. She looked over at the door and yawned. Her daughter peeked her head around the door and her mouth opened.<p>

"Papa! Papa! Mama's awake!" she yelled, running away. Marie smiled and watched as Stitches walked back in the door, a small bag with _Deathbucks_ printed on it in her hand. Stein walked in after her, holding two cups of Deathbucks coffee.

"We were going to make you breakfast, but _someone_ got a hold of the eggs…and the flour… and everything." Stein shrugged, handing Marie one of the cups. Stitches smiled as she sat herself on her mother's side of the bed. She handed her the small bag. Marie smiled and took it.

"Thank you, baby." Marie said, kissing her daughter on the top of the head. She giggled and shook her head, her now shoulder-length silver hair sweeping across her face. Stitches sat back expectantly. Marie opened the bag, and pulled out a berry muffin.

"I picked it." Stitches said, leaning against her mother.

"Well, you know me well, Stitches." Marie said, wrapping her arm around her daughter. Stein smirked at his two girls and looked at Stitches.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Stein asked. Stitches' mouth popped open and she jumped off her mother. She ran off into her room and came back with a piece of paper. Marie put her coffee down and watched as Stitches came and sat in between her and Stein.

"You ready, Mama?" Stitches asked. Marie nodded and smiled. Stitches turned around the piece of paper so she could see. Marie's eyes widened in joy as she saw what was on the paper.

Stitches had drawn her family; she could easily make out herself, Stitches and Stein. Marie had seen her daughter playing with crayons more lately; she didn't know that this was why.

"Oh, Stitches… This is gorgeous." Marie said, her eyes welling up with tears. Marie held out her arms and held her daughter close.

"Mama… Mama, you're squeezing me." Stitches said, giggling. Marie let her go.

"Sorry, baby. It's just so good." Marie said, looking down at her daughter. She wasn't actually lying, per se; considering she was two and a third, it wasn't bad. Marie's arms came out of her head; but the sentiment was there. A sentiment which Marie thought was absolutely gorgeous.

"Thank you, Mama." Stitches said, bashfully. She laid herself down on her parents' bed; her head on Stein's lap and her feet on Marie's.

"You quite comfortable there?" Stein asked. Stiches responded back, not a touch of spite in her voice.

"Yes, thank you, Papa." She smiled. Stein chuckled and laid his hand over Stitches eyes.

"Papa! Papa, it's dark! Papa!" she exclaimed, giggling. Stein took his hand off of her eyes. She glared up at him, cheekily, and pulled herself to her knees, kneeling eye-to-eye with her father. She pulled Stein's glasses off of his face and put them on herself, upside-down.

"Uh, Stitches…" Marie said, before bursting out into laughter. Stein couldn't help but smirk and Stitches began to laugh along with her mother. She sat up and gave Stein's glasses back to him.

"Here you go, Papa." She smiled. Stitches was an excitable soul; as was her mother. Her mother just had a good deal more years worth of self control over her daughter.

"Thanks." Stein said, pushing the glasses back onto his face. Stitches giggled as she knelt up next to her father, pulling his ear down to her face-level. She whispered in his ear. He smirked and nodded.

"Off you go." Stein said. Stitches squeaked with happiness and jumped off of the bed. She ran out of the room and into her own, off to play with something.

"So, what are we up to today?" Marie asked, scooting herself over to Stein, leaning on him and eating her muffin at the same time.

"Whatever you want." Stein remarked, wrapping his arm around her waist. Marie smirked up at him.

"Except that." Stein said, raising an eyebrow. Marie feigned a sigh of discontent.

"That's later." Stein smirked. Marie giggled slightly.

"So, what happened with the whole making breakfast thing?" Marie asked. Stein sighed.

"In theory, Stitches had it all down pat. She'd cracked the eggs, put the flour in… she forgot the bowl." Stein said. Marie grimaced.

"Counter?" Marie asked. Stein let out a small exasperated laugh.

"I wish. Floor." Stein said, leaning back and closing his eyes. Marie laughed.

"Oh. I see." Marie smirked. Stein sighed and looked down at Marie.

"She asked about it today, though. At Deathbucks." Stein said. Marie raised an eyebrow.

"About what?" Marie asked.

"Well, her exact words were, 'Why are old people the only people with our hair colour, Papa?'" Stein said. Marie sat up and her hands covered her mouth.

"Oh my… did people hear?" Marie asked. Stein smirked and shook his head.

"No." Stein said.

"What did you tell her?" Marie asked.

"I told her that I had silver hair because that's my family's way of keeping watch of their children." Stein said. Marie giggled slightly.

"So you swindled your way out of it?" Marie asked.

"Uh, yes. Yes, I did." Stein said. Marie smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"Well, this has been a great Mother's Day so far. I'm off to have a shower." Marie said, sliding herself out of the bed and walking out of the room.

* * *

><p>"Mama! Mama, look how high I am!" Stitches said, sitting on the swing set in the kiddie seat. Stein stood behind her, pushing her as she giggled more and more with every swing. Marie was sitting in the swing across from her, feet planted firmly on the ground.<p>

"Goodness me!" Marie said, smiling.

"Papa, higher!" she exclaimed, her legs flailing. Stein smirked at her.

"I really don't think that's a good idea. I'm going to let you swing by yourself, now." Stein said, stepping out of the swing range of the toddler. He walked up behind Marie. The park they were in was relatively empty, but it was a nice little area. Stitches had _insisted_ they go to a park.

Stein placed his hands on Marie's hips and leant down to whisper in her ear.

"You ready?" Stein asked. Marie turned to glare at him.

"Stein, what are you doing? Stein? Stein?" She exclaimed, but it was too late. Her hands clutched as tightly as possible to the chains of the swing as Stein pushed her.

"Stein!" she yelled at the sadistically smirking meister.

"You want to go higher?" Stein asked.

"_No!_ No, I really don't!" Marie said, her eyes squeezed shut tightly. Stein grabbed her as she swung backwards the next time, wrapping his arm around Marie's waist and stopping the swing. She turned and glared at him.

"I hate you." Marie exclaimed. Stitches' eyes widened at her mother's statement.

"Wh-what? Y-You hate-"

"No, no, honey! I was joking, Mama was being silly!" Marie fretted, causing Stein to chuckle.

"It's okay, Mama still loves me." Stein said, walking over to Stitches and unbuckling her from the swing before looking to Marie for confirmation of his statement. Marie answered Stein by kissing him on the cheek.

"You ready to go home?" Stein asked Stitches. She nodded sleepily and rested her head on Stein's shoulder.

"Let's go home, Papa." She sighed. Marie leant against Stein, her arm around his waist, as they walked out of the park.

* * *

><p>Later that night, when Stitches was finally asleep, Stein and Marie were getting ready to do the same. Stein shut the door around and locked it. He slid himself into bed next to Marie, wrapping his arms around Marie.<p>

"So, how was your third Mother's Day?" Stein asked Marie. She nuzzled into his chest and looked up at him.

"Amazing. Wonderful. Perfect." Marie said, quietly.

"That's good." Stein said, pulling Marie close to him.

"Although… you did promise me something else this morning…" Marie giggled slightly. Stein looked over at her and smirked.

"I did, didn't I?" he asked back. Marie nodded and bit her bottom lip. Stein leant over and turned off the light. Marie giggled slightly as Stein wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling their lips together.

Marie's Mother's Day was _fantastic_.

**A/N: Come on, we had two sexless chapters. And even **_**that**_** was a push. :)**

****Okay, well, uh, yeah. A few of you will already know this, but I have **a side account, _stitchandshock_. Yeah, that's me, writing le porn. I may or may not have written some of the more... shall we say explicit... parts of Stitches, and... okay, I have. I'll be posting these here, and I'm going to put links on both of the accounts so that it's easy to get from one to the other if you so desire. But, I wanted to keep this clean so I didn't shove any lemons in your face.**

**Onwards!**


	10. Moving On Up

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to everyone who's in high school who has been forced to make a decision on their future.**

* * *

><p><em>~Stitches – 2 years, 10 months~<em>

_I can't believe it. _

_The class that I came to teach three years ago is only two months from graduation. They've all grown so much… most of them are taller than me, now. Then again, a lot of them were taller than me when we started._

_Just recently, Maka turned Soul into a Deathscythe. I was very proud of the both of them. I remember the look on Maka's face and the admiration on Soul's. I can't believe they're all 17, 18 or 19… where did the time go? If I'm like this with my students, I'll be a mess when it's Stitches._

_Stitches is still coming to school with Stein and I; she's still yet to stay with Mira for an entire day. She's not getting much less anxious about it; she's like Stein that way. He's an anxious sort of person generally, he can just suppress his anxiety during battle, which makes him such an efficient fighter._

_Alright, I'd better go. I can hear yelling._

_Marie x_

* * *

><p>"Alright, class, you can go." Stein said to the class, Stitches sitting on his lap. Admittedly, she had done better today; she didn't run away from Naigus until fourth lesson.<p>

"I'm going to go and see Mira, okay?" Marie asked. Stein nodded.

"You want to go with Mama?" Stein asked his daughter. Stitches shook her head, leaning back on Stein. Marie smiled slightly and walked out of the room. Everyone in the class left except for Maka.

"Uh, Doctor Stein?" Maka asked, nervously. Stein looked up at her, Stitches sitting on his lap.

"Maka?" Stein asked back. Stitches smiled as Maka pulled a chair up to sit across from her teacher.

"W-Would I be able to talk to you about something?" she asked, glancing down.

"What is it?" Stein asked, turning Stitches around to lean on his chest as she signalled that she was getting tired.

"Graduation." Maka said. Stein nodded.

"Are you worried?" Stein asked. Maka shook her head.

"It's not that, I just… How did you become a teacher here?" Maka asked.

"Well, Shinigami-sama asked me to do so." Stein said. Maka looked up.

"Uh, well… how would _I_ go about becoming a teacher here? After graduation, I mean." Maka said. Stein raised an eyebrow in thought.

"Well… we could go and see Shinigami-sama. I'm sure he'll have some answers for you." Stein said.

"Okay." Maka said. Stein stood up and carefully hoisted his daughter a bit further over his shoulder.

"B-But can we go without an appointment?" Maka asked. Stein rolled his eyes.

"Rules are made to be broken, Maka." Stein remarked, quietly.

"Are you supposed to be condoning rule-breaking, Doctor?" Maka asked, following her teacher down the hallways. Stein stopped slightly.

"Probably not." He began. Maka looked up at him.

"So, don't tell Shinigami-sama I said that."

* * *

><p>"So, Maka-chan, you'd like to teach?" Shinigami-sama asked.<p>

"Yes. How would I go about it?" she asked. Stitches stood next to her, now well and truly awake.

"Well, you'd have to choose a specialty. There's no reason you couldn't teach an entire class, but everyone has a specialty." He said. Stitches giggled and ran up to Shinigami-sama.

"Hello!" she said, excitedly. Shinigami-sama chuckled slightly, picking up the little girl in his large, white hands. She giggled inanely as she inspected the rather odd looking hands of Shinigami-sama.

"But what would I specialise in?" Maka asked. Stein, from behind them, answered.

"Soul perception." he said, without hesitation.

"But-" Maka began.

"He's right, you know. You have soul perception techniques that rival that of a shinigami." Shinigami-sama said. Maka looked down and felt a blush run across her face.

"Really?" Maka asked. Shinigami-sama nodded, Stitches still poking at his hands.

"Yes, you do. May I ask, why the sudden desire to teach?" Shinigami-sama asked.

"Well, now that Soul is one of your Deathscythes, I needed to think about what I was going to do." Maka said. Shinigami-sama nodded.

"I am glad you're thinking about your future, Maka. Kid doesn't know what he wants to do. Someday, he will replace me, but I'm planning on staying around for a long while yet." Shinigami-sama remarked. Maka nodded.

"Thank you, Shinigami-sama." Maka said, standing up and walking over to him. He nodded at her. Stitches' face lit up and she reached her hands out.

"Maka!" she exclaimed, grabbing at the air in front of Maka's body. Maka smiled and took the little girl out of Shinigami-sama's hands. Stitches had a fascination with Maka, and Maka loved the little girl. She was like the little sister she never had, and Stitches had someone to look up to other than her parents.

"Hey, Stitches. How are you?" Maka asked, taking the little girl's hand and wrapping it around her finger.

"Good! Look at all the teeth I have!" Stitches said, smiling widely at Maka. The teeth that she possessed were small and white. Maka chuckled slightly.

"That's a _lot_ of teeth. Did it take you very long to grow them?" Maka asked.

"Yes." Stitches replied, her smile still wide.

"You want to go back to your Papa now?" Maka asked the little girl. She nodded and Maka set her down. She ran over to Stein, clinging onto his leg and continuing to smile.

"Well, I'd best be off. Thank you, Shinigami-sama, Doctor Stein." Maka said, leaving Shinigami-sama's office and walking down the hallway. Stein walked over to Shinigami-sama, Stitches still hanging off his leg.

"You'll give her a job, right?" Stein asked, plucking the toddler from his legs and holding her against his side.

"Of course!" Shinigami-sama said, sticking his hands out to the side. Stein nodded.

"She's a smart girl." He said, turning around and walking out of the office. Shinigami-sama watched as Stein and Stitches left. As they walked out of sight, he simply thought to himself.

"_Kid wouldn't speak to me ever again if I didn't give her a job._"

* * *

><p>"A-And Aunt Mira showed me the…the thingy…" Stitches said, curled up at her mother's side on her parents' bed. Marie continued to stroke her daughter's hair whilst Stein continued to engage in her tired conversation, a veiled attempt at getting her to sleep.<p>

"Sounds good. Anything else happen today?" Stein asked.

"And…And I did the other thing." Stitches said, her eyes closing. Stein smirked slightly as the girl turned over and buried herself in her mother's chest.

"Thank goodness." Marie said, sitting up and placing Stitches gently over her shoulder. She stood from the bed and walked out of the room. Stitches awoke slightly as her mother placed her down in her bed.

"Mama?" she asked, sleepily.

"Yes, baby?" Marie asked, brushing her daughter's hair out of her face, kneeling down to her eye level.

"Do you love Papa?" she asked, quietly. Marie smiled.

"I do. Very much." Marie replied.

"Does Papa love you?" she asked back, her eyes half closed. Marie giggled slightly.

"I sure hope so, sweetheart. I think he does." Marie said, tucking Stitches into her bed.

"Okay. I love you, Mama." Stitches said, her eyes closing.

"I love you too, Stitches." Marie said as she kissed her daughter on the forehead and turned around. She walked over to the doorframe and saw Stein standing just outside.

"What are you doing here?" Marie asked.

"Just saying goodnight to my daughter." Stein said, walking past Marie and kneeling down next to Stitches, who was barely awake.

"Papa?" Stitches asked, turning over and rubbing her eyes slightly.

"It's alright, Stitches, you can just stay there. But I want to answer your question for you." Stein said to the little girl, quietly.

"Which question?" Stitches asked. Stein sighed.

"I love your mama very much. I love your mama and I love you more than anything else in this world." Stein began. Marie stopped at the doorway and looked on.

"The world out there… bad things happen. People do terrible things to other people and there's not a lot of innocence." Stein pulled the covers up over his daughter's shoulders, tucking her in.

"But you and your mama… you remind me why people keep on living. You give me a reason not to destroy the world around me. Because the world, no matter how dark it gets, is going to protect you two in the long run, even when I can't." Stein continued. Marie walked quietly into the room, feeling tears welling in her eyes.

"So, yes. I love your mama. And you. Very much." Stein said. He wasn't sure how much Stitches had understood, but she was a very bright little girl. The smile on her face suggested that something got through.

"I love you too, Papa." She smiled, sitting up and wrapping her small arms around Stein's neck. Stein hugged her back, a flicker of innocence in a harsh world.

Stein turned around to feel slender arms wrap around his neck and a familiar set of lips press against his own. Stein made it to his feet without breaking the kiss, and when he was stable once more, Marie pulled away and pressed her forehead against his.

"Why do you do that?" Marie asked. Stein raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Stein asked.

"You go around, being all modest and unassuming, then you hit me in the heart with something amazing like that." Marie shook her head and smiled.

"… I'm sorry?" he searched for the right answer.

"Don't be. Please… don't be sorry." Marie smiled. She knew that, although her wavelength had been the thing that had kept him stable and sane, that the way he acted was truly _him_, that Franken Stein was not the cold, emotionless being that most people believed he was.

Stein and Marie turned to Stitches, who was now asleep. Her mouth was open in a tiny 'o' shape, and her breathing was quiet and peaceful.

Stitches was a flicker of innocence in a world full of harsh, terrible things.

She was _their_ flicker of innocence.

**A/N: FLUFF FLUFFITY FLUFF FLUFF FLUFF. That is all.**


	11. The Final Goodbye

**A/N: MY CREYS. MY BABIES ARE GRADUATING. I mean, the Soul Eater characters are graduating.**

**OH, WHAT AM I KIDDING? MY BABIES ARE GRADUATING! **

**Oh, and Wes is in this chapter. If you don't know who he is, well… you terrible. No, he's Soul's brother, just in case. Oh, and Crona's not in the class. It's not that I don't like hir, it's just that, if I start a storyline for hir, it'd be left hanging, because I've only planned to have the main group of students mentioned (Soul, Maka, Kid, Liz, Patti, Black*Star and Tsubaki) So yeah.**

* * *

><p><em>~Stitches – 3 years old~<em>

_It's finally here. _

_In just a few, short hours, Class Crescent Moon is going to graduate. I have to make a speech…I hate speeches. Stein has to make a speech…he hates speeches._

_I'm going to miss all of the students. We're getting in a whole new wave of kids soon, but it's going to be really hard letting go of the class which convinced me to keep working, even though I have a family to take care of._

_I can't believe that they're graduating._

_The trick tomorrow is going to be keeping Stitches away from Stein and I when we do our speeches._

_Alright, I'd better get some sleep. Too much nostalgia for one night._

_Marie x_

* * *

><p>"So, for whatever you want to do, whether you leave Death City and pursue your dreams or you stay close to home and do what you love, I wish you good luck." Shinigami-sama said, ending his speech. The entire crowd applauded, the graduating class giving a standing ovation.<p>

"Alright, now, to give a small speech and to present the valedictorian their award, please welcome and be respectful to the two people who have guided Class Crescent Moon through most of their highest days and their toughest times as the most advanced class in the school, Marie Mjolnir and Doctor Franken Stein." Shinigami-sama said, as the crowd applauded, making way for Stein and Marie. Sid would have made a speech, having started off being the class teacher, but he was busy. The crowd hushed as Marie stood in front of the microphone, unable to keep the smile off of her face. Soul elbowed his brother in the stomach.

"Hey, Wes, that's the hot teacher I was telling you about." Soul smirked. Wes hit Soul over the back of the head and looked back up at Marie.

"Well, class, it's been a long, and at times, a tough road, but you've finally made it to graduation. I remember when I graduated. I thought it was both great that I'd finally finished schooling, but I was upset because I was going to leave behind so many great memories." Marie said, glancing at Stein.

"But, there's one person who's been able to push past the tough times and has come out at valedictorian of Class Crescent Moon. And this person is extraordinarily deserving of this award." Marie said. She stepped to the side and Stein took her place.

"This student has, time and time again, proven that they can overcome pressure and obstacles in order to become the best in their class. They have been persistent and accurate for the entire time that I have taught them, and I'm sure Marie-sensei would say the same." Stein said. Marie nodded and smiled.

"So, I'd like to congratulate and welcome up here the valedictorian of Class Crescent Moon, Maka Albarn." Stein said.

Maka, in shock, looked around at her friends who sat around her. She stood up and walked past them, Tsubaki smiling widely at her best friend and Kid incredibly proud of his girlfriend. Soul looked on at his meister, knowing how deserving of it she was.

Maka eventually made her way down to the front. Spirit was in the front row, his eyes welling up with tears of pride. Maka should have been embarrassed, but she was only valedictorian once. She walked quickly over to her father and leant down to hug him.

"_I do love you, Papa._" Maka whispered. Spirit hugged her tightly back.

"_I've always loved you, Maka._" Spirit said back, rather composed, considering his overprotective reputation. Maka stood back up and made her way up to Stein, Marie and Shinigami-sama. Stein shook her hand and handed her the certificate. Marie shook her hand as well.

"I'm very proud of you, Maka." she smiled.

"Thank you, Marie-sensei." Maka said. She walked over to Shinigami-sama and shook his hand. Well, she attempted to shake his hand, anyway. She stood in front of her class; the class she's been in for five years now. She was just a child back then; now she was an adult. A young woman going out into the world.

"Uh…wow. Hi." Maka said. The class laughed slightly, calming Maka. She caught the eye of Kid, who gave her a reassuring nod. Maka took a deep breath.

"Well, uh…I didn't expect this. I mean, there are _so_ many wonderful people in the class. So many people that I really hope to see again. I'd like to thank the entire class for providing a reason to go to school each day; the reason being that all of you were in the same boat as I would. I'd especially like to thank Soul, my weapon, Kid, my… good friend…" Maka stuttered. Everyone laughed and Maka went slightly red.

"I'd like to thank Tsubaki for being such a good friend, and I'd like to thank Black*Star, for never letting me give up. I also have to thank our teachers, Doctor Stein and Marie-sensei, especially with the never-failing support they've given us, even with a toddler at home." Maka glanced back at her teachers, who both gave her reassuring expressions.

"I'd not be the meister I am without the guidance of Doctor Stein, and Marie-sensei has shown us all that women have their rightfully earned place in keeping the world safe." Maka smiled. All of the females and even some of the males cheered at that comment. Marie glanced up at Stein, a look of pride on his face. Maka had always considered Stein her mentor. Stein glanced down at Marie, smiling.

"I'd, of course, like to thank Shinigami-sama, who gives us someone to look up to and also someone to laugh with, thanks to his attempts at 'coolness.'" Maka smiled.

"And, last of all, I'd like to thank my papa. He may have done wrong in the past, but ever since he and my mama split up, he hasn't left me. So, thank you. And congratulations to our graduating class!" Maka exclaimed, causing the whole room to stand up and cheer. Shinigami-sama walked over to the microphone.

"Now, to present your graduation certificates!"

The entire class had graduated; even Kid, Liz and Patti had done extra work in order to graduate, even though they'd been at Shibusen for a shorter period of time than the rest of the group. After they had all received their certificates, Shinigami-sama stood in front of them once more.

"Alright, so, you've all now officially graduated. I hope that you all go out into the world and wear your Shibusen badge proudly. Because you will, forever, be students of this academy. You will continue to learn, grow and educate. So, go and have fun! You're officially outta here!" Shinigami-sama exclaimed.

The class all took off their shinigami skull-laden caps and threw them in the air as cheer and applause rang out through the auditorium.

* * *

><p>"We've graduated." Maka sighed to her group of friends.<p>

"Mmhm, yes, that hasn't changed since the last twelve times you've said it, Maka." Kid said, walking over to stand next to his girlfriend.

"I just… I can't believe it. Soul's going to go off to be a Deathscythe, and you're going to do.. shinigami stuff, and…" Maka began.

"And you're going to refine your skills in soul perception, specialise in it and then come back to this fine academy to teach. And one day, you're going to teach children who are just like us, and on their graduation day, you're probably going to be in the same state as Marie-sensei." Kid said. Maka raised an eyebrow.

"Marie-sensei?" Maka asked.

"She's out the front of the school crying her eyes out and Doctor Stein is trying to console her. It's not working out too well for him." Maka said.

"You saw her crying and you left her there? Kid! Tsubaki, come with me." Maka said, grabbing her friend's hand and dragging her off. Before Kid was able to respond, they were out of earshot.

"Maka, where are we going?" Tsubaki asked.

"There." Maka said, motioning towards their crying teacher who they could make out through the doors. Tsubaki nodded as the two walked out the front doors of Shibusen. They saw the still sobbing Marie and a rather exasperated looking Stein with a small girl attached to his leg, along with Spirit, who seemed to have come out to see what the commotion was.

"Why is Mama crying?" Stitches asked Stein, who simply picked the little girl up and sighed.

"Just quiet now, okay?" Stein asked. Stitches nodded and watched as Maka walked over to Marie and rested her hand on her shoulder. Marie's head bolted up and she looked at Maka and Tsubaki.

"Oh, girls, I…" Marie began. Maka shook her head and simply wrapped her arms around her teacher. Marie, taken slightly aback, hugged her back tightly. Maka, now taller than Marie, pulled away and looked her straight in the eye.

"Marie-sensei, you have been a wonderful teacher and an inspiration to all of the girls in our class. I know that Tsubaki, Liz and Patti especially see you as a role model, being weapons themselves. And, you knew, in your heart of hearts, that this day was going to come. And now that it's here, it's hard. I know, it's hard for us too. But you've got to stay strong. Because in a few days, a whole other group of gifted young kids are going to come through here and they're going to need a teacher like you to help them." Maka began. Marie nodded.

"They're starting from square one; they've got to pick a partner and learn the ropes. And they're going to need someone like you to help them. You've got to pick yourself up and say 'They need me.' Because you've taught us to fend for ourselves; now we're going to do that." Maka said.

The group around them were shocked at Maka's maturity. Considering her naivety a few years ago with not understanding Marie's inability to tell Stein about her pregnancy, she had obviously grown up. Marie wiped her eyes and smiled.

"I've taught you well." she sniffled.

"You've taught us exceptionally. And, for your first graduating class, you've done well. Plus, if I teach here one day, I'm going to need someone's shoulder to cry on when I see my first graduating class." Maka smiled. Marie nodded.

"I think there's someone behind you that has something to say." Marie said. Maka turned around to see her father.

"Papa." Maka said. Spirit took a deep breath.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to go over the top. That… that right there… what you just did? That was amazing. I'm proud of you, Maka. And I hope that you won't be too embarrassed for me to call you my daughter. I know I've been embarrassing in the past, but…" Spirit was shocked when Maka hugged him.

"I know, Papa." She said, quietly.

"Good." Spirit said. Inside, however, he was sobbing with joy and dancing around. But he kept composed.

"Can we go inside now?" Stein asked. The four of them nodded and began to walk in the doors. Marie led, Tsubaki followed Marie, Spirit followed Tsubaki and Maka followed her father, with Stein at the end, still holding Stitches. He put his hand on Maka's shoulder. Maka turned around, her trademark pigtails flicking behind her.

"Doctor?" Maka asked.

"Congratulations, Maka." Stein nodded. Maka smiled slightly.

"I wouldn't be valedictorian if you'd not believed in me." Maka said.

"Well, your abilities were obvious." Stein said.

"Thank you, Doctor." Maka said. Spirit dropped back slightly and ruffled his daughter's hair. Maka glared at him.

"Don't push it, Papa." Maka said, running to catch up with Tsubaki. Spirit dropped back again slightly and walked alongside Stein. Stein smirked slightly.

"What are you smirking at?" Spirit asked.

"It must be something all daughters hate." Stein wondered, holding Stitches higher against his side.

"What?" Spirit asked.

"I tried ruffling Stitches' hair the other day," Stein began, rolling up the sleeve of his labcoat and pointing to a bruise, "and she bit me."

**A/N: THEY'VE GRADUATED! MY CREYS. LOL, jks, I no crying. Sniffle.**

**Anyway, I'll try to keep the students involved in the story, but some of them will be featured less than others. There'll be more KidxMaka, and Soul, Tsubaki and Black*Star should feature a little. However, Liz and Patti… IDK. They might come back a little. **

**Okay, okay, okay! I want to see what **_**you**_** guys think. If you review, I want to see what you think. Next chapter, we're going to find out whether Stitches is going to be a **_**meister**_** or a **_**weapon**_**. So, what do you think she's going to be? A meister like Stein or a weapon like Marie? Let me know!**


	12. Meister Or Weapon?

**A/N: Are we ready? Are you team meister or team weapon? Let's see!**

* * *

><p><em>~ Stitches – 3 years, 6 months ~<em>

_Well, the new kids in the E.A.T. class have settled in nicely. It's a bit different to having the others around, but that could just be because they're new and don't know their way around yet. _

_Stitches is a lot more active now, and she's excelling. She's inherited her father's intelligence, and she's already begun to read. It's gorgeous, and Stein relishes in not having to read any of the 'Princess Sparkles' series anymore. _

_Stitches sometimes tried to read the paper, and there's nothing funnier than her making up stories because she can't read some of the words._

_Stein and I have been together for four years now. Four whole years. Time flies, hey? _

_Oh well, I'd better go. I've got a fantastic set of cramps at the moment. _

_The joys of being a woman, I tell you. _

_I'm not looking forward to the day that Stitches starts going through it. Poor Stein, is all I can say. Oh, I've got a terribly cruel smile on my face now. Stop it, Marie!_

_Marie x_

* * *

><p>"She's awfully quiet." Stein said, glancing over to the door of his daughter's bedroom. Marie was in a near catatonic state on the couch, a heat pack on her lower stomach.<p>

"She's fine." Marie said, closing her eyes. Stein sighed.

"You should really be in bed." Stein said. Marie glared at him.

"I am not moving from here _ever_." Marie said, closing her eyes once again. Stein recoiled slightly.

"Fine, fine." He said. However, her statement was contradicted when they heard Stitches exclaiming from her room. She sounded… angry. And not usual angry. _Really_ angry. Stein stood quickly and Marie followed him. They staggered slightly when the cries of anger turned to screams. Stein rushed into the room and stopped when he saw the sight.

"Marie, you need to get in here." Stein stepped back slightly, his face solemn. Marie stumbled over to the door and was also shocked at the sight.

"Oh my…" Marie began. Stitches turned to them, her face plastered in horror.

"Mama! Papa! Make it go away!" she said. Stein knelt down next to Stitches and took a deep breath in.

"You were right." Stein said, sitting on the ground and pulling the severely shocked Stitches onto his lap. He took her arm in his hand; well, it was half her arm.

The other half was unmistakable; a slate-like hammer.

"Stitches, when did this happen?" Stein asked, softly.

"Make it go away! Make it go away!" she exclaimed, Stein having to hold onto her arm so she didn't hit him. Marie looked down at her daughter who was crying and in shock.

"Stein, bring her out onto the lounge. I can't get down there." Marie said. Stein nodded and picked up Stitches, who grabbed onto him tightly. They walked out to the living room and Stein sat Stitches down next to Marie.

"Honey, you have to tell Mama this truthfully. When did your arm go like this?" Marie asked. Stitches snivelled and looked up at Marie's identically coloured eyes.

"W-Well, I was playing d-dolls, and my doll, she wouldn't stand up, and I tried, and I tried, and she wouldn't stand up, and I-I got so angry and…" Stitches cried. Marie nodded and placed her hand on top of Stitches'.

"Honey, it's okay. You're like Mama. You're a weapon. And that's okay. But what I need you to do is calm down. You have to stop thinking about your doll. Because that's the only way that your arm is going to go back to normal." Marie said. Stitches fretted, tears still trickling from her eyes.

"Come on, baby. You've gotta take a deep breath. You've gotta forget about your doll. Breathe with me." Marie said.

She took Stitches' hand and took a deep breath in and a deep breath out. Stitches began to breathe with her and, eventually, in a flicker of blue light, her arm turned to normal. Stitches began to cry once more and fell into Marie's arms.

"W-What happened?" Stitches asked, quivering in Marie's arms. Martie held her close and kissed her on the top of the forehead.

"You're a weapon, sweetheart. Like mama. Mama can control when she turns into a weapon. But you… you're only little, right?" Marie asked. Stitches nodded.

"So, when you get really angry, you can't control it, but you turn into a hammer. Exactly like Mama. All you've gotta do is be really careful and, when you feel like you're getting really angry, you've gotta calm yourself down." Marie said, quietly. Stein just watched on in silent admiration at his partner's composure. Stitches nodded slightly, still snivelling.

"D-D-Does that mean I'm... I could hurt people… Mama, I don't wanna hurt people!" Stitches exclaimed. Marie shook her head.

"No. Honey, you won't hurt people. We're all going to make sure of that." Marie said. Stitches nodded, still shaking. Stein walked over to Stitches, kneeling down in front of her.

"You're going to be fine. I promise you that." Stein cradled the back of his daughter's head. She nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I'll put her down for a nap." Stein told Marie.

Marie nodded and watched as Stein tried to soothe the frenetic little girl, obviously doing so successfully as he walked back out of the bedroom without any screaming or crying. He sat down next to Marie, his arm wrapping around her shoulder and resting on her thigh as she leant against him.

"Are you going to say 'I told you so'?" Stein asked. Marie shook her head.

"She's so young…" Marie sighed.

"I know, but, it's better that we find out now. We can talk to Shinigami-sama. He'll know what to do about it." Stein said.

"I was nine before anything happened to me." Marie sighed.

"Well, you dealt with Stitches extremely well." Stein said.

"I tried." Marie sighed.

"Well, if that's how you're going to deal with the important moments in her life, then you can do all the important talks. The sex talk, the 'no boyfriends until you're thirty' talk… the list goes on." Stein smirked down at Marie. Marie rolled her eyes and smiled.

"I don't know what I'd do without you." Marie said.

"Well, you wouldn't have a three and a half year old daughter, that's for sure." Stein said. Marie raised an eyebrow.

"You never know, I might have." Marie asked.

"Oh, you've got men lined up to provide you with children, hey?" Stein asked. Marie giggled slightly.

"I've got contacts." Marie said, crossing her arms and smiling smugly.

"Oh, well, _that's _reassuring." Stein smirked. Marie laughed slightly, before wincing at a cramp. Stein laid her down on his lap and began to stroke her golden hair.

"I _hate_ being a woman sometimes." Marie remarked. Stein chuckled slightly.

"I can't respond to that without sounding insulting or completely stupid." Stein said.

"Good. Don't talk. Make pain go away." Marie mumbled. Stein raised an eyebrow.

"How am I supposed to do that?" Stein asked.

"Don't know. Just fix it." Marie replied. Stein shook his head.

"I can't do that." Stein shrugged.

"You doctor. You make things better." Marie smiled slightly.

"I can't fix your gender, Marie." Stein remarked.

"You know, I hate men sometimes." Marie joked, crossing her arms.

"My sincerest apologies for not having ovaries, Marie." Stein said. Marie opened her uncovered eye.

"Well, it's obviously your fault." Marie said. Stein smirked and nodded. Marie sat up, slid herself off of Stein, sat down on the couch next to him and kissed him on the cheek.

"I love you." She smiled.

"I love you too." Stein smirked. Marie went to lean over and kiss Stein again, but stopped halfway and closed her eyes tightly, gritting her teeth.

"Cramp." She winced.

* * *

><p>Stein and Marie were laying in bed, Marie holding a hot water bottle to her abdomen in slumber. Just as Stein was drifting off to sleep, he heard rapping at the door. He switched on the light and looked over at Stitches, who was standing at the door with her little toy rabbit.<p>

"Stitches?" Stein asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Uh, Papa? C-Can I sleep with you and Mama tonight? B-Because I don't want my arm to go all… funny." Stitches said. Stein sighed and nodded.

"Come on." Stein said, slipping out of the bed and walking over to Stitches, picking her up.

"Thank you, Papa." Stitches said, quietly, nuzzling into Stein's hold. Stein laid her down next to Marie and sat himself down next to her.

"You alright there?" Stein asked. Stitches nodded before looking up at her father, eyes wide and fearful.

"Is my arm going to hurt me?" Stitches asked. Stein shook his head and rested his hand on his daughter's shoulder.

"No, Stitches." Stein said. Stitches blinked twice before rubbing her eyes.

"B-Because you won't let it hurt me?" she asked tentatively. Stein nodded definitively.

"I won't let it hurt you." Stein said, turning the light off and laying down next to the still worried little girl.

"You sure?" Stitches whispered. Stein nodded.

"Yes. Now, you've got to go to sleep." Stein said. Stitches nodded and curled up, one arm keeping a firm hold on the t-shirt he was wearing.

"Keep me safe, Papa." Stitches whispered. Stein looked down at her and placed his hand at the back of her head. Marie's eyes opened ever-so-slightly, and she gently rubbed circles into Stitches' back. Stein glanced over at her before looking back down at his daughter.

"Always, Stitches. Always."

**A/N: So, Mjolnir blood runs thick :D Our baby is a weapon :D**

**Just a little note in case you've not read Stitches, this is in reference to Chapter 27. Basically, Marie thinks that their daughter will be a weapon, Stein thinks she won't be and will end up being a meister. So that's where the whole "Aren't you gonna say I told you so" comment comes from.**


	13. What To Do?

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to all the fangirls :D**

* * *

><p><em>~Stitches – 3 years, 9 months~<em>

_Well, it's been three months since we found out that Stitches is a weapon. Stein and I are going to take her in to see Shinigami-sama tomorrow to see what we can do about getting her into Shibusen. We know it's early, but we need advice. _

_I'm still a little in shock; discovering weapon status at three years old has to be pretty close to unprecedented. _

_I don't know how to feel; I'm glad that she's a weapon, like me, but I also know that it can present some challenges. I know that weapons tend to be more prone to being bullied, but I really hope that won't be the case._

_Now I'm getting stressed out. I hate when this happens. Stein now has to deal with my wrath. My fretting and my overprotective nature combine really well when I'm stressed._

_Alright, I'd better go. _

_Marie x_

* * *

><p>Stein, Marie and Stitches were walking along the path which would take them to Shinigami-sama's office. Stitches coughed slightly. Marie turned to look at her.<p>

"Mama, why is your hair different to mine and Papa's?" Stitches asked. Marie, who had the girl held to her hip, looked over at her.

"Well, that's because Mama and Papa are from different families. You and Papa are from the same family, so your hair is the same." Marie said. Stitches still had a puzzled look across her face.

"But then why don't I have the same hair as Mama?" she asked. Marie nodded slightly.

"Well, we have these funny little things called genes. Papa's genes must have been stronger than Mama's because you have his hair colour." Marie said. Stitches sighed slightly. She was a bright child, but genetics was probably a bit beyond her.

"Okay, Mama." she said, soundly. She leant herself back against Marie and she smiled slightly. The three of them finally got into Shinigami-sama's office and saw the shinigami and his Deathscythe. Marie placed Stitches down and knelt down to her eye level.

"Alright, Stitches, you're going to go to Uncle Spirit, okay?" Marie said. Stitches nodded at her mother.

"Okay, Mama." Stitches said, her pigtails falling into her face as she nodded.

"And you've got to be nice, okay? You take after your father in that respect. I have to tell _him_ to be nice to Spirit, too." Marie said. Stitches smiled.

"I'll be good, Mama." she said, bounding over to the redheaded scythe.

"Hello, Uncle Spirit." Stitches said, rolling backwards and forwards on her feet and holding her hands behind her back. Spirit pushed his red tresses out of his eyes and knelt down to face the little girl.

"Hello, there." he said, smiling at the little girl. She looked him in his blue eyes with her dark golden ones.

"Mama says that I have to be nice to you." Stitches deadpanned.

"Well, in that case, I should thank your mama." Spirit replied. The girl smirked back at him. Meanwhile, Shinigami-sama was talking with Stein and Marie about their daughter's recent discovery.

"So, has she transformed since that first time?" Shinigami-sama asked. Stein shook his head.

"No. Only that once." Stein replied. Marie clutched her hand on top of Stein's.

"I'm just worried that she'll not be able to control her ability once she's in grade school." Marie fretted.

"Well, I know of some grade schools in the area which can cater for future Shibusen students." Shinigami-sama replied.

"Well, yes, but- Wait, beg your pardon?" Marie asked.

"Future Shibusen students." Shinigami-sama clarified. Marie's eye widened.

"But… But she has to apply, and that can take months yet, and even then, we don't know if she'll get a place…" Marie began. Shinigami-sama chuckled.

"Really? After all you two have done for Shibusen, it's the least I can do. Plus, it's a long while yet, so it's easy to slip her into a class down the road." Shinigami-sama said. Marie sat there in shock.

"But…" Marie began.

"Nonsense! Marie-chan, your daughter's always had a place at Shibusen." Shinigami-sama said. Marie's hand tightened over Stein's.

"R-Really?" Marie asked. Shinigami-sama chuckled.

"Of course!" he said, throwing his hands out to the side. Marie stood up and walked over to Shinigami-sama, placing her hand on top of his. Shinigami-sama placed his other hand on top of Marie's.

"Thank you, Shinigami-sama." Marie said, tears welling in her visible eye. Shinigami-sama chuckled slightly.

"Stop thanking me! It's my pleasure, Marie-chan." Shinigami-sama said, letting go of Marie's hand. Marie smiled slightly.

"Thank you… so much, Shinigami-sama." Marie said, nodding. She walked over to Stein and couldn't help but smile widely. Stein stood up and nodded at Shinigami-sama.

"Thank you, Shinigami-sama. Perhaps Marie will stop worrying now." Stein said. Marie turned around and glared at Stein.

"I wasn't worrying!" Marie exclaimed.

"You were freaking out." Stein said. Marie shot him another glare.

"Shut up." Marie said. Stein smirked slightly and put his hands on Marie's shoulders. Stein, Marie and Shinigami-sama walked over to Spirit and Stitches. Marie was shocked at the scene whilst Stein had to try really hard to stifle laughter.

"_Stitches?_" Marie exclaimed. The little girl looked up, doe eyed.

"Hi, Mama." Stitches said. Marie glared at her. Stitches had managed to get onto Spirit's shoulders and was currently hanging off of his neck, Spirit's face turning a similar colour to his hair. Stein walked over and picked the little girl off of the scythe. He smirked slightly, but when he turned to Marie, the smirk cleared.

"Stitches, I want you to apologise to Uncle Spirit." Marie said. Stitches looked over at Spirit.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Spirit." She said, looking down. Marie crossed her arms.

"I should be telling _you_ to apologise to Spirit." Marie said to Stein. Stein's eyes widened and he turned to Marie. However, he refrained from responding when Spirit spoke up.

"It's alright. It's nothing compared to what Maka used to do." Spirit said. Stein chuckled slightly.

"How is Maka?" Stein asked.

"Well, she's nearly finished her first year of specialisation, when she's finished her second year, she'll hopefully start teaching." Spirit sighed. Stein raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?" Stein asked. Spirit ran his fingers through his hair.

"Well, Maka's nearly an _adult_, and your little one still sucks her thumb. They grow up so fast…" Spirit said.

"Well, you did have Maka at eighteen." Stein said. Spirit nodded and shrugged slightly.

"I suppose…" Spirit said.

"Plus, you _are_ older than I am." Stein remarked, a sadistic grin on his face.

"You didn't _have_ to bring that up." Spirit crossed his arms. Stein smirked and looked over at Marie.

"Alright, well, we'd best be off. Thank you, again, Shinigami-sama." Marie smiled. Shinigami-sama waved at the little family who left his office and walked down the corridor.

"Mama, why do I have to be nice to Uncle Spirit? Papa isn't." Stitches crossed her arms. Stein looked down at her daughter, shocked at her implication.

"Well, Papa's going to get in trouble for being mean to Uncle Spirit." Marie said, her hands on her hips.

"What?" Stitches asked.

"Well, put it this way, all that's going to be happening in our bed for a little while is sleeping." Marie said. Stein raised an eyebrow and Stitches' face turned puzzled.

"What _else_ would you do in a bed?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. Marie and Stein glanced at each other and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Nothing. Nothing at all." Marie smirked. Stein sighed.

"Your punishment is going to affect you just as much as it'll affect me." Stein said. Marie crossed her arms.

"I can live without it." Marie remarked, casually. Stein smirked slightly.

"Last night's display suggests otherwise." Stein said. Marie turned to Stein, ready to give him a mouthful. But, she couldn't stay mad at him. She sighed and laughed breathily. She wrapped her arm around Stein's waist and leant her head against his side.

"I'll let you off with a warning, this time." Marie replied. Stein smirked and shook his head, but stopped walking when Stitches stood in front of him, one hand on her hips and the other hand brandishing an index finger at her father.

"Mama's giving you a warning, Papa." she said, seriously. Marie tried very hard not to laugh, but she had to turn away and stifle her giggling with her hand. Stein, however, had slightly more resolve, picking up the little girl.

"Oh, she gave me a warning, did she?" Stein asked. Stitches nodded.

"She did. So you have to be very good." Stitches said.

"Do I?" Stein asked. Stitches nodded.

"Or she'll put you in the naughty corner." Stitches professed.

"Oh, well, I-" Stein was cut off my Marie cupping her hand over his mouth.

"Don't even _think_ about saying what you're about to." Marie said, sternly. Stein smirked and put Stitches back down on the ground.

"I'd better not," Stein replied, crossing his arms, "because my daughter has informed me that I have to be _good_." Stein finished. Marie smirked and leant against him.

"Well," she sighed, "that'd have to be a first, wouldn't it?"

**A/N: So… I'll just put this here… with the rest of the story.**


	14. Happy Birthday, Stitches!

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Miss_Not_A_Bunny :) Oh, and there's a little nod to Elicia from Fullmetal Alchemist later on in the chapter. See if you FMA watchers can pick it up.**

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><p><em>~Stitches – 4 years~<em>

_She's four years old today. I'm writing this at about six in the morning, and she's having a birthday party. _

_Much to Stein's dismay._

_He's not a big fan of parties, believe it or not. But, Stitches really wanted to see everyone on her birthday. So, we planned for everyone to come around. Stitches doesn't have many friends her own age, but she does just enjoy company._

_Just in case Stitches ever reads this, I just want to say happy birthday. Your papa and I are very proud of you. We hope that you have a great day and that you get everything you want._

_Alright, I'd better go and start getting ready for this party._

_Marie x_

* * *

><p>"<em>Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Stitches… Happy birthday to you!<em>" the group sung, ending with a round of applause for the now four-year-old.

Stitches blushed slightly at all the eyes looking at her. After fidgeting slightly, she turned around and clutched onto her father's legs, away from the people. They all chuckled slightly and Stein managed to pry the little girl off of his lower half, picking her up.

"You alright?" Stein asked. The little girl buried her face into her father's neck, shaking her head. Stein chuckled slightly and walked over to Marie. Marie took the little girl off of Stein and smiled.

"I'm going to take her to mingle." Marie said. Stein nodded and watched as Marie walked over to Azusa, sitting down with Stitches on her lap.

"Ah, Marie, Stitches. Happy birthday, you." Azusa smiled at her essential niece. Stitches looked over at Azusa and smiled.

"Thank you." She said, quietly, before burying her head back into her mother's chest. Azusa smiled slightly and looked back up at Marie.

"We have to catch up soon." Marie said, placing her hand on top of Azusa's. Azusa nodded.

"We shall. But now, you should probably take your daughter around to see everyone." Azusa said. Marie nodded back.

"Yeah. I suppose. Alright, I'll talk to you later, okay?" Marie asked. Azusa smiled slightly.

"Of course, Marie." She said, watching as Marie walked off with her daughter still latching onto her. She walked over to Naigus, which caused Stitches to lift her head slightly.

"Hello, there." Naigus said. Stitches lifted her head slightly and smiled at Naigus.

"Hello." She said, quietly. Naigus looked over at Marie.

"I can't believe it's going to be five years soon since I told you that you were pregnant." Naigus marvelled. Marie smirked.

"Wow. When you put it like that…" Marie said, incredulously, looking down at her daughter, who was still playing the shy card.

"Why don't you go and talk to Sid?" Marie asked, pointing to the zombie sitting near her and Naigus. Stitches gave a small smile and ran over to Sid, blinking quickly.

"Hi, Sid!" Stitches had perked up, now that she was only talking to one person. Sid smiled and picked Stitches up, sitting her on his lap.

"Hey, Stitches? Did you get anything cool for your birthday?" Sid asked the little girl. Stitches responded to Sid. Most children her age would be petrified by a giant, blue man with a hole through his forehead, but Stitches was probably desensitised due to the whole situation with her father and the giant screw through his skull.

"I got a new book. And some dolls." Stitches said, smiling widely. The new book had been Stein's doing; he was _not_ going to have Stitches reading nonsensical stories about Princess Sparkles and Prince What's-A-Thingy anymore.

"That sounds pretty cool." Sid said. Sid had a soft spot for kids; this was shown when he took Black*Star in.

"It is." Stitches smiled bashfully, before looking to her left and seeing a familiar set of pigtails.

"Sid… can I go see Maka?" Stitches asked, her eyes wide with expectation.

"Do I get a hug first?" Sid asked. Stitches giggled and wrapped her arms as far as they would go around Sid's waist. She then jumped off his lap and ran over to Maka, tugging at the hem of her blouse.

"Hey there, Stitches." Maka said, kneeling down to face the girl.

"Hello, Maka." she said. Maka turned to Kid and smirked.

"Isn't she adorable?" Maka asked. Kid shrugged and knelt down to face Stitches. She clasped her hands and looked at the shinigami nervously.

"So, how old are you today, Stitches?" he asked. Stitches lifted her head and replied.

"Thr-" the little girl held up three fingers, but a puzzled expression played across her face. She then corrected herself.

"Four!" she blinked, smiling widely and holding up four fingers. Something twinged in Kid's stomach. This little girl… she was…she was…

"So cute!" Kid said to Maka. She laughed and nodded.

"See what I mean?" Maka asked. Kid shrugged, regaining his composure.

"I suppose." Kid said. Maka sighed and smiled.

"One day, I want to have kids of my own." Maka said, making sure to shoot a glare at Kid. Kid smirked at Maka.

"I think your father would hunt me down and kill me if we had a child anytime soon." Kid said.

"We don't have to tell him." Maka said. Kid looked slightly shocked.

"What's gotten into you?" Kid asked.

"I'm getting clucky. I'm a woman. This is what I do around children." Maka said, tapping Stitches lightly on the nose. Stitches giggled and Maka's face turned even softer. Kid turned to Stitches.

"Could you stop being so cute? Because if you keep being so cute, Maka's father is going to hurt me. He'll make Medusa look like a teddy bear." Kid said, matter-of-factly. Maka raised her eyebrow and knelt down to face Stitches.

"No. My papa is Uncle Spirit. He wouldn't hurt Kid, would he?" Maka asked. Stitches had a quizzical look on her face.

"He might." Stitches said. Kid crossed his arms and Maka glared at him indignantly.

"Thanks, Stitches." Kid said.

Meanwhile, Marie was talking to Naigus and Sid.

"So, where did you send Black*Star for grade school?" Marie asked.

"We sent him to a little school in the middle of Death City. It was fairly small, but it was good. Plus, they could cope with Black*Star's…_ overexcited_ tendencies." Naigus replied. Marie laughed slightly.

"Well, Stein and I will have to give it a look." Marie said.

"Grade school already… goodness." Naigus said.

"Tell me about it." Marie sighed.

* * *

><p>After the party had finished, Stitches was sitting on the couch playing with one of the toys she had received as a gift. Marie was doing the dishes whilst Stein was going around and picking up all of the discarded and leftover decorations.<p>

"So, did you have a good day, Stitches?" Marie asked.

"Yes, Mama." Stitches said.

"That's good." Marie said. Stitches stopped playing with her toys and put them down on the couch. She got off the couch and ran over to her mother, hugging her legs. Marie stopped and looked down at her daughter.

"Thank you for my party, Mama." Stitches said. Marie smiled.

"Well, you're welcome, baby." Marie said. Stitches let go and ran over to her father.

"Thank you too, Papa." Stitches said, hugging Stein in the same manner she had hugged her mother. Stein smirked and placed his hand on the top of Stitches' head.

"That's alright, Stitches." Stein said, picking up the little girl. She yawned as he did so, and he smirked slightly.

"You want to go to bed?" Stein asked. Stitches nodded.

"It's been a big day, Papa." Stitches said. Stein chuckled slightly and walked into Stitches' room. He pulled back the quilt covers and laid the little girl in the bed. He pulled the covers up to her shoulders, kissed her gently on the forehead and went to walk out of the room.

"Papa?" the tired voice of his daughter called.

"Yes?" Stein asked, turning around.

"Who's Medusa?" Stitches asked. Stein's voice caught in this throat.

"Papa?" Stitches asked. Stein sighed and sat down next to Stitches on the bed. There was no use in hiding the information from his daughter.

"Medusa… was a witch." Stein said. Stitches gasped.

"A _witch_?" she asked. Stitches may have only been four, but anyone who grew up in Death City knew one thing; witches were _bad_.

"Yes. And she did bad things to a lot of people that your mother and I care about, not to mention myself." Stein said, trying to push the images to the back of his mind. The little information he had retained from his bout of madness was painful.

"She hurt you?" Stitches asked, worriedly, latching onto her father's arm.

"Yes, she did. But I'm alright now. And she's gone now." Stein said.

"O-Okay." Stitches said, worriedly.

"Alright. Goodnight, Stitches." Stein said. As he tried to get up, Stitches tugged on his sleeve once more.

"What is it?" Stein asked. Stitches began to cry.

"Stay, Papa." she choked out.

"Why?" Stein asked.

"Because I want to protect you. I don't want Papa to get hurt by the nasty witch." Stitches said, tears falling from her eyes. Stein's eyes widened and he held the little girl close to his chest.

"Alright, I'll stay." Stein said, lying down next to the little girl.

"I'll protect you, Papa." she said, holding onto his hand tightly.

Stein looked down at his daughter incredulously. She was four years old and had that strong a sense of protectiveness. He waited a while before he felt Stitches' grip on his hand loosen as she fell asleep. He sighed as he sat up, looking at the sleeping four-year-old.

His little girl was pretty damn amazing.

**A/N: Birthday, birthday, birthday. :D Fluffity fluff fluff.**

**Oh, I just want to say... Stitches won't be having any siblings. I'm sorry, but that's the way it goes. BUUUUUTTTTTT, before you kill me... that doesn't mean that there won't be another baby or two in the series.**


	15. School Times Ahead

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to ponies. Because ponies don't get enough fanfiction dedications. This chapter mentions a character death. It's not a major character, but it's still sad :(**

**Just coincidentally, this is the 45****th**** chapter in the entire Stitches series. And episode 45 in the Soul Eater anime was a good episode for SteinxMarie shippers :D**

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><p><em>~Stitches – 4 years, 6 months~<em>

_Searching for a grade school for Stitches starts tomorrow._

_Oh joy._

_We're going to have to go through the whole thing with telling them about Stitches' weapon status, and then we're going to have to work out some arrangement._

_I can't believe that she's going to be at school soon. I feel old. And Stitches is __not__ happy with the fact that she might have to wear a school uniform. She had a tantrum the other day, which was fun._

_She can throw a tantrum like the best of them. _

_In extremely sad and sobering news, however, Doctor Katsuma, the wonderful woman who guided Stein and I through the pregnancy and birth of Stitches, passed away earlier this week from an unknown cause. I know this reads like a funeral notice in the paper, but one day Stitches will probably read this. _

_Just remember that Doctor Katsuma was a wonderful woman. She brought you into the world and I don't know what I'd have done without her. She's left behind a fiancé and a daughter. I wish them all the hope in the world._

_Rest in peace, Aya._

_Marie x_

* * *

><p>The day had not started off as well as the small family had planned. Marie and Stein, along with Stitches, had visited a couple of grade schools that day. One of them was incredibly apprehensive to take in a child who had Stitches' abilities, and the other had a headmistress who nearly fainted when she saw Stein's screw. So, they went off to their third appointment of the day, at the grade school that Naigus and Sid had suggested. They were waiting in the small office for the headmistress.<p>

"I swear I recognise the name." Marie said, looking at the little business card which she got in the welcome pack.

Caroline Smith was the name. The picture next to it was a rather petite woman with black hair and brown eyes.

The last name was too common for Marie to recognise. But the first name rang out in the back of her head. And then it clicked.

"Stein!" Marie said, thwacking Stein in the arm.

"What the hell was that for?" Stein asked.

"The headmistress is Caroline! From school! Remember?" Marie asked.

"Caroline… Caroline… Oh, wasn't she the girl who sat in the library all the time?" Stein asked.

"Yeah, she was. She's really nice." Marie said.

"Everyone thought she was a witch." Stein said. Marie glared at him.

"She is not. She was a good friend." Marie retorted. Just as she replied, Caroline walked out of the office.

"Caroline!" Marie said, standing up.

"Marie Mjolnir? Oh, my goodness!" Caroline said, striding over to Marie and hugging her.

"And Franken Stein. Goodness me, you've changed a bit." Caroline said. Stein looked down at the woman.

"That tends to happen after 15 odd years." Stein said.

"Still as cynical as ever." Caroline smirked.

"I try." Stein remarked.

"Can't believe you actually followed through with the screw experiment." Caroline said. It was refreshing for Stein to have a comment about his screw that didn't follow a disgusted look or a fainting.

"Never one to back down on my word." Stein said, crossing his arms.

"So, you two married?" Caroline asked. Marie shook her head.

"No… no." Marie said, biting her tongue. Stein looked over at Marie. He knew she would like to get married, but they'd discussed it, and they had their reasons for staying unmarried.

"Oh, okay. I'm married, nearly a year now." Caroline said. Marie smiled.

"That's great, Caroline." Marie said.

"And this must be Shelley that I've heard all about. You like to be called Stitches, I believe?" Caroline knelt down to the little girl. She was fidgeting with the skirt that Marie had made her wear.

"Yes. Hello, Mrs Smith." Stitches said. Caroline shook the little girl's hand and stood up again.

"Well, Marie, Franken, Stitches, if you'd like to come through here." Caroline said, walking into her office. She pulled up another chair for Stitches and walked around to her chair. Stein and Marie sat on either side of Stitches.

Stein looked down at the little girl and the little motion desk accessory. He smirked and pulled the silver sphere on the end backwards before letting go, watching it hit the row of orbs and making the orb on the other end swing. The process repeated again, and Stitches was captivated.

"Whoa…" Stitches said, following the orbs with her eyes.

"Smart child." Caroline said, taking a seat.

"How can you tell?" Marie asked.

"Well, bright children try to follow the orbs, try to work out what they're doing. The average child will usually grab the orbs and stop them from moving. It's just simple psychology." Caroline said. Marie nodded.

"Alright, so, how old is Stitches?" Caroline asked.

"She's four and a half." Stein replied. Caroline scrawled something down on the admission form.

"Okay. So, Stitches, I heard you're a weapon, right?" Caroline asked. Stitches lifted her head up and nodded.

"What's your form?" Caroline asked.

"I'm a hammer." Stitches said, quietly, looking down shyly. Caroline sighed.

"Hey, Stitches?" Caroline asked. Stitches looked up, her green eyes small. Caroline held out her palm and three spikes grew from it.

"I'm a weapon, too." Caroline said, closing her palm and retracting the spikes. Stitches' eyes widened.

"A-Are you a mace?" she asked, inquisitively.

"Yes, very good. I'm impressed you know that. Though, I shouldn't be surprised, with your parents. It's still very impressive." Caroline said. Stitches smiled.

"Thank you." Stitches smirked, leaning against her father.

"Alright, so, we've got lots of future Shibusen's enrolled for next year. And we're very adaptable with coursework and working it around the time where they finally go to Shibusen. The advanced class leaves for Shibusen at the end of grade seven. " Caroline said.

"That sounds great." Marie said, looking down at her daughter who was preoccupying herself with the desk contraption.

"And you've spoken to Shinigami-sama about her position at Shibusen?" Caroline asked.

"We have." Stein spoke up.

"And has he made any decisions as to whether she'll be an E.A.T or a N.O.T?" Caroline asked.

"He said that, due to the young age at which she discovered her status, her abilities should develop to an E.A.T standard before the time she has to go to Shibusen."Stein said, looking down at his still inquisitively observant little girl.

"Well, we can enrol her whenever you'd like. She'll be in the advanced class, Shinigami-sama's recommendation." Caroline said. Marie looked down at her daughter.

"Do you think you'd like to come to school here?" Marie asked. Stitches was still mesmerised by the motion machine.

"Stitches." Stein said, waving his hand in front of her face. She looked up at her father.

"Huh?" she asked, a puzzled look on her face.

"Would you like to go to school here?" Stein asked. Stitches tilted her head to the side. She turned to Caroline and deadpanned.

"Are there more of these things?" she asked, pointing to the motion device.

"I think most of the teachers here have them." Caroline said. Stitches smiled and turned to her father.

"Then yes." she replied insistently.

"So, you want to go to this school because of the decorations… on the desks?" Stein clarified. Stitches nodded.

"I like them." Stitches said. Stein's head fell into his hand. Marie sighed and began to speak.

"But, if they didn't have these things, would you still want to come here?" Marie asked. Stitches turned to her mother and shrugged.

"I suppose." Stitches smiled. Her face then dropped.

"B-But will p-people make fun of me? B-Because of m-my funny arm?" Stitches asked, her nervous stutter making an appearance. Caroline sighed sympathetically at the little girl.

"Well, we try our best to make sure that nobody makes fun of you at all." Caroline said. Stitches took a deep breath.

"O-Okay." Stitches said, leaning against her father in dramatic relief. Stein shook his head and rolled his eyes. Marie couldn't hold back her smile any longer.

"So, does that mean she's enrolled?" Marie asked. Caroline nodded.

"She is. We'll send you a letter detailing the materials she will need, and we'll send out a letter a month before term starts, okay?" Caroline asked. Marie nodded and took a deep breath out.

"Thank you so much." Marie said. Caroline smiled.

"It's our pleasure. We're looking forward to having your daughter as a student." Caroline smiled.

**A/N: You know what this teaches you? Nerdy little kids who sit in the library at school will end up controlling your children's education. BE NICE. :P**


	16. Off To Learn!

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to everyone who has ever read/watched Soul Eater. Because you guys have taste. This chapter is pretty long.**

* * *

><p><em>~Stitches – 5 years~<em>

_She's starting school tomorrow. I'm going to cry like a baby. _

_Stitches has been prancing around in her school uniform all weekend – the fact that she doesn't have to wear a skirt has made her slightly more fond of it. I will get her into a dress in summer._

_I'm writing this whilst sitting in bed; Stein knows I've got this journal so he's not too fussed. He just pointed out my spelling mistakes. Alright, I'm moving into the bathroom._

_Okay, I'm in here now. I can't believe that she's actually going to school. She's really excited, and I'm a mess. Stein's been trying to calm me down, but I'm a mother on a mission. What exactly that mission is, I'm not quite sure._

_I've __really__ got to stop worrying. How I'm going to do that, I don't know. Stitches told me that she'd be fine, and that I should stop worrying. She's much too wise for a five-year-old. _

_She's going into an advanced class, and the teacher is former Shibusen. _

_Alright, I should go now. _

_Marie x_

* * *

><p>"Stitches…" Stein said, his head falling into his hands. Stitches turned around to her father, who was sitting on her bed, and put her hands on her hips.<p>

"What?" Stitches asked.

"Your shirt… nothing seems wrong?" Stein asked. Stitches looked down at her collared polo shirt. The three buttons which were supposed to be at the front were at the back, and her collar went around her neck.

"No." Stitches shook her head, a large smile on her face. Stein shook his head and smirked.

"I think your mother will have something to say about that." Stein said. Stitches, harnessing the innate need to prove her father wrong, ran out to find Marie.

"Mama! Papa says my shirt is on wrong." Stitches complained to her mother. Marie sighed and knelt down, pulling the shirt over Stitches' head.

"It goes the other way, baby." Marie said, putting the shirt on correctly. Stein walked out of Stitches' room and waited until she turned around.

"I told you." Stein said. Stitches shot him a glare before running over to her mother.

"What's the matter, Stitches?" Marie asked.

"Papa's being mean." Stitches said, burying her head into her mother's neck. Marie looked over at Stein.

"I didn't do anything." Stein shrugged. Marie sighed and looked down at her daughter.

"We've gotta go soon. Go and get your backpack and your coat, it's cold out." Marie said, kissing her daughter on the forehead. Stitches smiled and ran off to her room. Marie took a deep breath and walked over to the door frame of Stitches' room. Stein placed his hand on Marie's shoulder and pulled her back slightly.

"Marie…come on." Stein said. Marie sniffed slightly and turned around to face Stein.

"Sorry." she said, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. Stein sighed and turned her around to face their daughter.

"She's five years old. She's got to have _some _independence. Even if it's under the watchful eye of her mother." Stein said. As he did, Stitches turned to Stein and Marie, her backpack on her front.

"I'm ready to go now, Mama, Papa." Stitches said. Stein chuckled slightly and knelt down in front of his daughter.

"Stitches, what is this called?" Stein asked, pointing to the bag.

"A backpack." Stitches replied, insistently.

"So, doesn't it make sense that it would go on your back?" Stein asked. Stitches pondered her father's statement for a minute, before smiling at him.

"Oh, yeah." she said. She tried desperately to get the bag off, but couldn't.

"Do you need some help?" Stein asked. Stitches nodded. Stein gently pulled the backpack off of Stitches' arms, turned her around and slid it on her back.

"Thank you, Papa." Stitches said. Stein smirked and stood up, Stitches grabbing his hand as he did so.

"Do you want your sandwich, honey?" Marie asked. Stitches turned to her mother, a wide smile on her face.

"Peanut butter?" Stitches asked.

"Nothing less." Marie said, leaning down, kissing her daughter on the forehead and slipping the sandwich into her backpack. Stitches loved peanut butter over all other foods; whether or not that was related to her mother's craving during pregnancy was anyone's guess.

"Can we go now, Mama?" Stitches asked Marie. Marie nodded and followed a skipping Stitches out the door, followed by Stein. Marie grabbed onto Stein's hand tightly.

"Stop me from running and screaming and not letting Stitches go any further than the stairs." Marie said.

"Don't run, don't scream, let Stitches go further than the stairs." Stein said. Marie glared at him.

"Thank you so much." Marie said.

* * *

><p>"Stein… Stein, come on." Marie said, tugging on the sleeve of the silver haired scientist kneeling in front of her.<p>

"Give me a minute." Stein said, looking up at Marie. He then turned back to Stitches, a tight hold on her hand.

"Alright. Now, don't talk to boys. They're terrible people. Oh, and don't eat things off of the floor." Stein said. Stitches smiled.

"I know, Papa." Stitches said, nodding and responding exactly as she had to the rest of her father's extensive list of things not to do.

"And-" Stein said. Stitches' teacher, Miss Emily, leant down in between Stein and Stitches.

"If I may interject?" Miss Emily said. Stein nodded.

"Stitches, would you like to go and play with Anna and Mina over there?" Miss Emily asked the silver-haired girl. Stitches nodded.

"Papa?" Stitches said, Stein's hand still holding hers tightly.

"Papa… can you let go now, please?" Stitches asked.

"What? Stein asked. Marie sighed and leant down.

"Stein, come on." Marie said. Stein sighed and reluctantly let go of his daughter's hand. Stitches sighed and ran over to play with the little long-haired blonde girl and her short-haired redheaded companion. Stein turned to Marie, some relatively unfamiliar emotion in his eyes.

"Stein, are… are you _crying_?" Marie asked, Stein shook his head insistently.

"No. That's ridiculous. I've just something in my eye." Stein said, removing his glasses and rubbing his olive-coloured eyes. Marie sighed and shook her head.

"I'm sure." Marie sighed, leaning against her partner.

"First child?" Miss Emily asked them.

"Only child." Stein said. Miss Emily nodded.

"A lot of parents are like this on their child's first day. Fathers are often especially overprotective of their daughters." Miss Emily said. Stein raised an eyebrow.

"Overprotective?" Stein asked.

"Honey, I love you, but you're being a little overprotective." Marie said.

"I was giving sound advice." Stein corrected Marie. Marie sighed and nodded.

"It's alright, Stein." Marie said.

"Well, Shelley should settle in fine. She seems very bright and inquisitive." Miss Emily said. She was older than Stein and Marie, as told to them by Caroline, and she left Shibusen before Stein and Marie began to attend. She was a two-star meister, but had given up her craft. She had cropped, auburn hair with flecks of grey. She had a warm, welcoming smile and large, brown eyes.

"Come on, we should say goodbye." Marie said, walking towards Stitches, who was playing with some blocks with another girl. Stitches' eyes lit up as she saw her mother. She turned to the short, redheaded girl next to her, Mina, and told her about her parents.

"There's my mama and papa." Stitches smiled to Mina. Mina turned around and her mouth popped open.

"I know, my papa looks a bit funny." Stitches said.

"I think he looks cool." Mina smiled.

"Really?" Stitches asked.

"Yeah! My papa is boring." Mina giggled.

"I don't think he would be boring." Stitches smiled.

"And your mama is pretty. I don't has a mama." Mina said, looking down sadly. Stitches decided to change the subject and held her hand out.

"My name is Shelley. But everyone calls me Stitches." Stitches said.

"I'm Mina. Everyone calls me…Mina." she smiled.

"Should we be friends, Mina?" Stitches asked.

"Yeah!" Mina replied, smiling at the silver-haired little girl.

"I have to go and say goodbye to my mama and papa, okay?" Stitches asked.

"Can I come?" Mina asked. Stitches smiled widely.

"Sure! Come on." Stitches said, taking Mina's hand in hers and walking over to her parents. Marie smiled at the new friendship; it was amazing how little kids could make friends so quickly.

"Hey, Stitches. Who's your friend?" Marie asked, kneeling down to face Stitches.

"This is Mina." Stitches smiled, watching as the redheaded, grey-eyed girl analysed Marie.

"Hello, Miss." Mina replied.

"Hi, Mina. My name is Marie. I'm Stitches' mama." Marie said. Stitches smiled and hugged Marie.

"Alright, Stitches, Papa and I are going to go now. You have a good day, okay?" Marie asked, smiling widely in pride.

"I will." Stitches smiled. Marie smiled and stood to her feet. As Stein and Marie walked out the door, Mina spoke up.

"Bye, Marie! Bye, Mister!" Mina waved. Marie and Stein turned back, waving to the little girl who, up until two minutes ago, they hadn't met.

"Come on, Mina, let's go and play!" Stitches said, running in front of Mina, their hands still entwined.

Marie leant on Stein as they walked out of the schoolroom.

"She's made a friend, already. You've done all you can to make her worldly." Marie said.

"I know. She'll be fine." Stein sighed.

"She will." Marie said.

"Though, I can safely say that I've never seen so many children fighting over coloured dough before in my entire life." Stein said. Marie giggled slightly.

"That's what kids do. I guarantee you that Stitches will have tried to eat it by the end of the month." Marie said. Stein smirked and shook his head.

"I'd say within the week, based on the way she ran for it." Stein said. Marie laughed once again.

"It's weird. She's usually not good in social situations, but she made a friend so quickly." Marie said.

"Well, it helps when the people she's socialising with aren't three feet taller than her and are within ten years of her own age." Stein said. Marie nodded in agreement. Although she hadn't reacted with as much emotion as she thought she would, it was still hard leaving her daughter there.

Marie had to face it now, whether she wanted to or not. Her little girl was growing up. She was going to want to explore, discover and learn, and Marie had to let her.

It was going to be one of the hardest things Marie would ever have to do.

**A/N: YAAAY :D Just a little thing, Mina is going to be a regular O/C. **

**In the *drumroll* next story (yes, there's going to be another one!) she's going to play an even bigger role. **

**But if you don't like the little redhead, well, bad luck. She's a combination of a lot of my friends, so yeah :) You don't like my friends, IDGAF :D**

**Kyonkichi's kitten is awesome. But sometimes she stuffs up some of the lines in my stories in a way that I'll never be able to look at them again. Like putting "except Stein" on the end of the final sentence of this chapter. ;)**


	17. New Teacher, Maka

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to all of the teachers around the world. Because, without them, I'd not be writing this story. :)**

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><p><em>~Stitches – 5 years, 5 months~<em>

_Stitches has settled into school really well. She's not hit anyone with her weapon form, which is good. She's got a little friend, Mina, who is possibly one of the cutest things to ever grace this planet. Other than Stitches, of course._

_But, that's not the main thing at the moment. Maka is starting to teach at Shibusen soon, and she's going to be teaching alongside Stein and myself. I think that would be a little weird, having to teach alongside people who used to teach me, but hopefully Maka will be able to deal with it._

_She's been granted the rank of three-star meister, now that she's teaching, though I don't know how much combat she'll be engaging in. Not to mention the fact that her main weapon is a Deathscythe and we're short on weapons as it is. Then, there's her relationship with Kid, who has gone into managing some 'general Shibusen affairs' in the underground of Shibusen._

_Come on, it can't just be me. That seems a little suss._

_Alright, I'd better go. I have to help Stitches with her homework. It's ludicrous! She's five, and has homework. Goodness me._

_Marie x_

* * *

><p>"Alright, class, quiet!" Stein said, rolling in front of the E.A.T class, a class who were two and a half years through their Shibusen courses. Some of the students showed promise, but there were few standouts. It was nothing like the E.A.T class before them.<p>

Marie was walking down the corridors next to Maka. She'd finally finished her specialisation, and was taking a student teacher position in the E.A.T class. She sighed and looked over at Marie.

"So, Maka, do you think you're ready?" Marie asked.

"No. But, you know, it's as close as I'm going to get." Maka sighed, holding her books close to her chest. Marie sighed and placed her hand on Maka's shoulder.

"It'll be okay. Just as long as you're confident, you should be okay." Marie said. Maka nodded.

"That could be easier said than done." Maka said. Marie noticed Maka's nervousness and sighed.

"Maka." Marie said, turning Maka to face her.

"Yes?" Maka asked.

"You've stared down the Demon God and come out alive on the other side, having defeated him. You did things in school that most people won't do in their entire lives. You'll do great." Marie smiled. Maka smiled back and hugged Marie. Considering her own mother's absence, Marie had become a sort of maternal influence on Maka. The two of them walked to the classroom door and heard Stein speaking.

"Alright, class, we've got a student teacher with our class for a little while." Stein said. Marie walked through the door with Maka.

"Alright. This is Maka-sensei. I trust you'll give her respect." Stein said, slipping a scalpel out of his labcoat pocket and twirling it in between his fingers.

"Good morning, Maka-sensei." the class chimed. Maka took a deep breath and looked over at her former teacher. Marie gave a reassuring smile and ushered Maka to the front of the classroom where, until two and a half years ago, she attended.

"Hello, class." Maka said.

"Okay. Maka-sensei specialises in soul perception. She's a meister, so she will be focusing predominantly on work with Doctor Stein and the other meisters. Sorry, weapons, you're still stuck with me." Marie smiled. The weapons in the class liked Marie. The meisters either respected Stein or thought that he was the most terrifying thing on the face of the Earth.

"So, if you'd like to divert your attention over here to Maka-sensei, we can begin." Stein said, watching as the class settled down and looked at the sandy-blonde haired woman. She wiped the nervous look on her face and took a deep breath.

"Right, students, what do we already know about soul perception?"

* * *

><p>"So, Maka, how are you finding teaching? Naigus asked the former Shibusen student.<p>

"It's actually really cool." Maka nodded.

"That's good." Naigus replied.

"Though, with the talk that goes on about the current students in the faculty room, I have to wonder something." Maka said.

"What's that, Maka?" Marie asked, sitting next to her.

"Did you talk about _our _class like this when we attended?" Maka asked. Marie turned to Stein, her eyes wide.

"_I _didn't." Marie said, shooting a glance at Stein. Maka noticed and rolled her eyes.

"What did you say?" Maka asked.

"Nothing particularly bad about you. Your blue-haired companion, however…" Marie trailed off, earning a glare from Naigus.

"He's not that bad! He just needs… coercion." Naigus said.

"With a cattle prod." Stein muttered, under his breath. Naigus heard and stood up, walking over to Stein and flicking him in the ear.

"I heard that." Naigus said, with disdain.

"I noticed." Stein said, sitting backwards on his chair. The chimes signalling half-lunch rang out, causing Stein to roll over towards Maka.

"I'd watch out, if I were you." he said. Maka raised an eyebrow. However, before she could ask why, the answer burst through the door, bouncing with pride.

"_Ma-a-a-ka!_" Spirit exclaimed, leaping over towards his daughter. Maka's eyes widened as Stein rolled in front of her, deflecting her father's advances and flinging Spirit against the opposite wall. Marie stood up and put her hands on her hips, a scowl on her face.

"What have I told you _boys_ about fighting in the faculty room? Especially when it's Maka's first day!" Marie said, putting particular emphasis on the 'boys.' Spirit and Stein both turned to Marie, a serious look on both of their faces.

"Sorry, Marie." they said, in unison. Marie nodded and sat down next to Maka.

"I told them to behave… there's really not much you can do." Marie sighed, sipping her coffee.

"It's okay, Marie-sensei." Maka said. Marie looked at her.

"You don't have to address me that way anymore, Maka." Marie said. Maka nodded.

"I know. But I'm going to anyway." Maka said. Marie smiled slightly.

"So, how is Stitches going at school?" Maka asked. Marie smiled once again.

"She's doing very well. She's perfected the art of putting her t-shirt on the right way now, which is good." Marie giggled. Maka laughed as well, until they heard Spirit yelling.

"You don't have to _upstage_ me like that in front of my daughter!" he said, his voice raised.

"It's not exactly a difficult task, senpai." Stein remarked. Spirit fumed and it seemed that steam was escaping from his ears. Marie sighed and placed her mug on the small coffee table in the middle of the faculty room.

"Excuse me." Marie said, calmly. She stood up and walked over in between Spirit and Stein.

"_What did I tell you?_" Marie scowled.

"But-" Stein started.

"You, shut up." Marie said, pointing at Stein. Taken slightly aback, Stein smirked slightly as Marie turned to Spirit.

"Now, you. This is your daughter's day. Not yours, not Stein's, not anyone's. Now, unless you want to sit in the corner, you shut your mouth and sit down." Marie said. Spirit nodded sadly.

"Okay." he said, trudging over to the couch and sitting down next to Naigus. Naigus failed to stifle a giggle.

"Now, you." Marie said, pushing Stein's chair up against the wall, slamming Stein against it in the process.

"Quit antagonising him. It's not his fault he's overprotective. And, unless you want me to tell the story about you basically _hanging_ off our daughter's leg when she was trying to get out the front door to go to school, I suggest you keep yourself to yourself." Marie said. Stein cracked a sadistic smile.

"You are _so hot_ when you do that." Stein smirked. Marie sighed, trying to hold back a blush, and glared at Stein.

"Right, that's it. You are getting a severe talking-to." Marie grabbed the back of Stein's chair and lugged him out of the faculty room. Naigus shook her head as she watched them leave.

"Who does Marie think she's fooling?" Naigus asked, in a chuckle.

"Huh?" Maka asked. Naigus' eyes widened as she tried to respond.

"Oh, that's right, you don't know what… never mind." Naigus said. Maka, a confused look on her face, sighed and shook her head, brushing the comment off. Out in the corridor, Marie had Stein off of his chair and up against the wall, interrogating him.

"And Maka's taking the next lesson by herself?" Marie asked, insistently. Stein nodded.

"Good. Now, get in the cupboard." Marie said, opening the small janitor's closet and pushing Stein inside. She shut the door with a slam.

Maka learnt a lot that day. She learnt that students weren't quite as scary as she thought they were going to be. She learnt that teachers really _did _talk about students in the faculty room.

But, most of all, she learnt that Marie must give really severe talking-to's. Because Stein was incredibly complacent and placid when he came back from Marie's lecture

Although, she wasn't quite sure where the distant, dumbstruck smile came from.

**A/N: Okely dokely doke. There's that :D**


	18. School Yard Troubles

**A/N: This chapter is set about two years after the last one: the gap is just so that everything meets up at the end of this story. This story is going to have 30 chapters, just like the last one. **

**This chapter is dedicated to ****bullying awareness****. Bullying is a sickeningly common thing in schools, workplaces and just about everywhere nowadays. Help to combat it. Don't be a bully. x**

* * *

><p><em>~Stitches – 7 years, 5 months~<em>

_I'm starting to get really worried about Stitches. She's started not wanting to go to school in the mornings, Stein or I will have to drag her out of bed. I've been trying to get her to tell me what's wrong, but she won't. _

_I've asked Stein to talk to her tomorrow, after school. I know that Stein can get through to her. I don't know what it is about him, but he calms her._

_Stitches' friend, Mina, is helping too. She's a really lively, peppy little thing, and she always picks Stitches up when she's feeling down. She's really helping a lot._

_I'm really worried that she's getting bullied. I'm really worried that there's a lot that she's not telling us. And I don't want her to feel like she can't talk to us about it, no matter what age she is, no matter how far she gets in life._

_Okay, I should go. _

_Marie x_

* * *

><p>"Hey, old lady!" the older boy yelled from across the playground. It was recess time and Stitches and Mina were playing on the small playground out the back of their classroom. The boy was obviously a few years older than Stitches, about ten. Stitches looked at him, wide eyes teary, and yelled back.<p>

"I'm not old, I'm only seven!" she said, Mina taking her hand protectively.

"Then why's your hair that dumb colour?" the boy retorted, walking over to Stitches, towering over her. Stitches had taken after her mother in the height department.

"Because that's my papa's hair colour." Stitches said, nervously.

"Oh, your precious papa, hey? Well, my father's told me about your papa. Your papa is just a crazy old guy who sits around chopping people up!" the boy laughed. Stitches let the tears flow from her eyes now. Mina glared at the boys.

"If you don't leave her alone, I'll tell a teacher!" she said. Her stance was menacing for an eight-year-old, but the slightly older boys just laughed.

"I'm _so_ scared!" the boy said, derisively. Stitches, however, was legitimately scared. And when she got scared, her nervous stutter made an appearance.

"L-Leave us a-alone!" Stitches said, near quaking with fear.

"Oh! Well, baby, we'll l-l-leave y-y-you alone, then. O-O-O-Okay?" the boy laughed. Stitches simply closed her golden eyes and ran away from them, crying as she did so. Mina stood her ground.

"You're mean!" she yelled, kicking the main gang member in the shin before running off after her friend.

"Ouch! You little…" the boy went to chase after Mina, but the flash of red hair left before they could figure out the direction she left in. Mina looked around for her friend when she saw a curled up, silver haired little person. She sat down next to her and began to talk.

"Stitches…Stitches, we should go and see a teacher." Mina said, putting her arm around her sobbing friend.

"No! No, because Mama and Papa send me to this school because they love me and want me to learn, and I don't want to have to say that people are mean to me." Stitches snivelled, sitting against a wall and closing her eyes, stifling her tears.

"But… But can't you get Miss Olivia to help you?" Mina asked, referring to the girls' grade two teacher. Stitches shook her head.

"No. No, I'm okay." Stitches sniffed, looking up at Mina.

"Are you sure?" Mina asked. Stitches nodded.

"Yeah. Thank you, Mina." Stitches said, hugging the redhead.

"Best friends?" Mina asked.

"Best friends for life." Stitches replied.

* * *

><p>"Honey… Honey, can you come here for a minute?" Marie asked, watching her daughter run in the door and straight to her room as she had done for the past three days running.<p>

"No." Stitches replied. Marie sighed, tears welling in her eyes.

"She's getting bullied. I can tell. I had that same look on my face for most of grade school." Marie whimpered. Stein stood from his seat and walked over to Marie.

"Marie, you don't know that." Stein said. Marie shook her head definitively.

"No, Stein. I'm sorry, but you're wrong. I do know. She's getting bullied, I know it…" Marie trailed off, burying her head into Stein's chest. Stein held the back of Marie's head.

"I'll go and talk to her." Stein said. Marie sniffed and nodded, watching as Stein walked into their daughter's room and shut the door. He walked over and saw her, her head buried into her pillow and light sobbing noises coming from within her.

It was then that he realised that Marie was right.

This was no state for a seven-year-old to be in. Especially not unprovoked. Maybe in the teenage years, she'd come home crying for no reason, but not at _seven_.

"Stitches?" Stein approached the little girl tentatively, and she turned her head. He sat down next to her.

"Papa…Oh, Papa." she said, throwing her arms around her father and sobbing even harder. Stein sighed in disgust at what the children had done to his daughter, and pulled her into his lap. She tried to stifle the crying and leant her head against Stein's chest. It wasn't long before his shirt was marred with tear stains.

"Stitches… you've got to tell Papa what's happening." Stein said, looking down at the little girl, his hand on the back of her head.

"But…But you're going to get _angry_." Stitches whispered. Stein shook his head and held his daughter closer.

"Of course I'm not going to get angry. Since when do I get angry?" Stein asked.

"Since when you talk to Uncle Spirit." Stitches snivelled. Stein tilted his head to the side. The girl had a fair point.

"Okay… But you're my daughter. I'm not going to get angry. But you've got to tell me." Stein said. Stitches took a deep breath.

"S-Some older boys at my school are… are being mean to me." Stitches managed to choke out before she started crying again. Stein's fists balled in anger, but he calmed himself down to comfort his daughter.

"What do they do?" Stein asked. Stitches sniffed.

"W-Well, they say that I'm an-an old lady because of my hair, and that you're crazy, and they make fun of my s-s-s-" Stitches began. Stein shushed her, knowing what she was trying to say.

"Well, those boys are idiots who are going to end up working for you someday." Stein said.

"W-W-What?" Stitches asked, looking up at her father.

"If those boys really have nothing better to do than to make fun of a seven-year-old girl, then they aren't going far in life, trust me." Stein said. Stitches sat back slightly.

"R-Really?" Stitches asked. Stein nodded.

"And those things that they're making fun of you for, they're stupid too." Stein said.

"W-Well… Mina thinks my hair is cool." Stitches smiled slightly.

"There you go." Stein said.

"And you're not crazy." Stitches said. Stein nodded and mentally checked that subject matter off the 'Cross that bridge when we get to it' list.

"And my s-stutter isn't there all the time. Just when I'm scared." Stitches said.

"Or if you and Mama are talking in that really fast female language that I cannot understand for the life of me." Stein said. Stitches giggled slightly.

"Thank you, Papa." Stitches said, hugging Stein tightly.

"That's alright. Now, you know you've got to tell your teacher, right?" Stein said. Stitches gasped slightly.

"No! No… Papa, I can't." Stitches fretted.

"Stitches, you know you've got to." Stein said. Stitches shook her head.

"Papa, I can't!" Stitches cried.

"Stitches, yes you can. Of course you can." Stein said.

"But she's going to be… _disappointed_." Stitches admitted. Stein sighed and shook his head.

"That's not true. That's not true at all." Stein said. Stitches looked at her father through teary eyes.

"But I'm stupid for even letting the boys be mean." Stitches said. Stein had to try really hard to suppress the need to yell at whoever had put that stupid ideal in his daughter's head.

"It's not your fault. If you talk to your teacher, she can get them to stop." Stein said. Stitches snivelled.

"O…Okay, Papa. I-I'll tell her." Stitches sniffed. Stein nodded and held his daughter close.

"You know that nothing that they say is true, don't you?" Stein asked. Stitches nodded.

"I… I know. It's just… why do they have to be so mean?" Stitches cried. Stein sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. That was a really difficult question to answer.

"It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault. You've not done anything to deserve it." Stein said.

"But… why?" Stitches asked, desperately searching for an answer that nobody, let alone her father, could provide.

"I don't know, Stitches. I really don't. And I wish I did, I really do." Stein said. Stitches began to shake in Stein's arms. Stein fought to hold back emotion and simply held his daughter close.

He wished he could stop the hurt Stitches felt.

He wished he could stop the pain that Marie felt seeing Stitches liked this.

He wished he could answer the questions his daughter quite rightfully posed.

But there were some things that even the most powerful meister ever to graduate from Shibusen couldn't do.

**A/N: Don't be a dick. Don't bully.**


	19. Big Girl's Wedding!

**A/N: kyonkichi's kitten… you're welcome. This is a long-ish chapter.**

**If you don't ship KidxMaka, then this chapter will be hard to swallow. You can grin and bear it, pretend it's someone else or you could throw a temper tantrum and just not read this chapter. **

**But, may I just say, if you ignore the KidxMaka, there's a bit of Spirit/Marie banter that I'm quite proud of. And there may or may not be shenanigans that are well worth reading. I can't say.**

**If you can't ignore it, I apologise. **

**But, I'd just like to say thank you to the users who, even though they don't ship KidxMaka, don't flame me for it. **

* * *

><p><em>~Stitches – 8 years old~<em>

_Well, I feel old._

_Tomorrow, Maka and Kid are getting married._

_It seems like only yesterday that they were naïve little students who Stein and I taught. Now…now they're getting married. _

_Stein, Stitches and I are going, along with a lot of the other Deathscythes, Shibusen faculty, Maka's friends, Kid's friends, such and such. Maka's been going on about her wedding at Shibusen. I don't blame her._

_Stitches is excited. Though, I don't think she's completely sure what a wedding entails. But, you know, all to her own. I am excited for them, I really am. Though I'm sure the topic of marriage will come up in one of Stein's and my conversations sometime this week._

_I completely understand why Stein and I haven't gotten married. We have our reasons, and there may come a time when we do get married. But, for now, we're still a happy little family. Having said that, I do still want to get married someday. (And yes, Stein, I can see you reading over my shoulder, hence why I wrote that. Love you!)_

_Oh well. I should probably go now. I'm going to go and make Stein wear a tie tomorrow. Because, if I do, Spirit owes me ten bucks. And, I've got a couple of weapons that Spirit doesn't._

_Yes, my charm and my smarts. Get your mind out of the gutter._

_Marie x_

* * *

><p>"Alright, can we go now?" Marie asked. Stitches nodded and took her mother's hand. It had taken her a little while, but Marie had finally gotten Stitches to stop playing with the hem of her dress. Marie walked out into the lounge room where Stein sat. She put her hands on her hips and scowled slightly.<p>

"You are wearing a tie." Marie said, standing in front of Stein. Stein rolled his eyes and shrugged.

"Do I have to?" Stein whined. Marie sighed and nodded.

"And what if I don't?" Stein asked. Marie glared and grabbed Stein by the collar of his shirt, pulling him to his feet.

"No tie, no sex." Marie glared. Stein glared slightly at Marie, trying to work out whether or not she was serious.

She was _dead_ serious.

"Fine, fine." Stein said, standing up and walking into the bedroom. Marie turned around to see Stitches standing behind her, a puzzled expression on her face. Marie knelt down.

"What's wrong, honey?" Marie asked.

"What's sex?" Stitches asked. Marie's mouth fell open and she began to stutter. She couldn't lie to her _completely_, she was eight, she'd know a little bit. Making up something like 'Sex is a poisonous mushroom' just wouldn't cut it anymore.

"Uh… well…it's a…it's a hug that mamas and papas share." Marie nodded.

"Really? Because some of the boys at school say that it's something that-" Stitches started. Marie shook her head.

"Don't listen to them. It's a special hug, and that's all you need to know at the moment." Marie said.

"Okay." Stitches smiled. Marie exhaled in relief and looked over at the door of hers and Stein's bedroom. That _really_ was not a door they had to go through at age eight. Stein walked out, a tie around his neck. Marie tried to suppress a squeal.

"See? Was that so hard?" Marie asked. Stein sighed.

"Yes." he whined. Marie shook her head.

"You know, sometimes it's like I have two children at home." Marie said, straightening Stein's collar.

"Thanks." Stein smirked. Marie sighed and shook her head.

"I said _sometimes_." Marie smiled.

* * *

><p>Although Spirit had made a big to-do about giving Maka away and looking past Black*Star's outburst, Maka and Kid's wedding had gone smoothly. Maka was reading through her vows, looking into Kid's eyes.<p>

"You've been my rock. You've been the one that I could lean on when there's nobody else around. So, I love you, Kid. And I can't wait for you to be my husband." Maka said, tears forming in the corners of her green eyes. Kid smiled slightly, taking Maka's hands in his.

"_I love you_." Kid mouthed, wordlessly. Maka smiled, the veil covering her face.

"Does the best man have the rings?" the minister asked. Kid turned to Soul, who was fumbling around in his pockets.

"Aha! Here you go." Soul said. Kid took one ring in each hand and gave one to Maka.

"With this ring, I thee wed." Maka said, quietly slipping the ring onto Kid's finger. Pushing past the uncomfortable nature of the asymmetrical imbalance of the ring, Kid slipped the ring onto Maka's finger.

"With this ring, I thee wed." Kid smiled. Maka knew very well that, as soon as the ceremony was over, she would give Kid another ring and Kid would give her another ring, just to recreate the symmetry. However, at the moment, they were too swept up in the ceremony to really care.

"By the power vested in me by the area of Death City, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." the minister said. Kid pulled Maka's veil over her face and head, kissing her on the lips. The guests all applauded at the couple. Maka's bridesmaids, Tsubaki, Liz and Patti, all 'aww'ed at the sentiment, whilst Kid's groomsmen, Soul, Black*Star and Kilik, all whooped, wolf-whistled and cheered.

"May I now present to you Mr and Mrs Death the Kid." the minister said as Maka and Kid walked down the aisle, arms interlinked. Marie smiled widely and gave Stitches a handful of rose petals to throw behind the newlyweds. Stitches walked to the end of the row of chairs and waited until Maka and Kid were just before her, and threw the petals.

Unfortunately, most of them fell on herself. Stitches looked up at Maka and Maka saw her. She stopped Kid for a second and, very dextrously, knelt down in her wedding dress.

"You're married now." Stitches said.

"Yeah, I am. I'll see you at the reception, okay? I need some photos of you in that dress." Maka smiled. Stitches blushed as Maka kissed her on the cheek before she stood up and continued to walk down the aisle. Marie smiled and took Stitches' hand once again. She waited until the wedding party had walked down the aisle and then made her way to the front with Stein and Stitches. She walked up behind Spirit.

"Hey." Marie said, hugging Spirit.

"So, what's it like having a daughter who's married?" Marie asked.

"I don't know. I just hope that she's happy." Spirit said, smiling.

"Well, I hate to bring you down from your paternal pedestal, but…" Marie walked Stein forward and pointed to his tie. Spirit pulled out his wallet, a smirk on his face.

"Well done." Spirit conceded.

* * *

><p>"Then there was this one time where Kid and Maka were <em>totally<em> going at it behind the gym. So Black*Star and I got all the water bottles from the PE class, and we just _drenched_ them!" Soul laughed. The whole room laughed whilst the newlyweds went bright red.

"So, well done, Kid. You've snagged a good one. And, Maka, if you're going to have sex, make sure you do it somewhere there aren't any water bottles or annoying male friends." Soul said, finishing his speech and raising his glass. He turned to the newlyweds and bared his shark-like grin. They smirked at him and sighed.

Marie, Stein and Stitches were at a table with the other Deathscythes, Sid, Naigus and Shinigami-sama. They all stood up and walked over to the dance floor to watch Maka and Kid share their first dance. The two danced for a short while before other couples made their way over to the dance floor. Spirit walked up to Stitches and knelt down.

"Would you like to dance?" Spirit tasked, holding out his hand to the girl.

"Okay, Uncle Spirit." Stitches said, taking his hand. They walked onto the dance floor and Stitches stood on Spirit's feet as they began to twirl around. She giggled as Spirit picked her up and held her against his hip. After a while, the dancing ceased for a little while for Maka to throw her bouquet. The men dispersed and the women all bunched up behind the white-gown-clad Maka.

"Okay… three, two, one!" Maka said, throwing the bouquet up in the air. The women all clambered for the bunch, but it fell into the hands of everyone's favourite blonde Deathscythe.

"Oh, my…" Marie said, not knowing quite what to do with the bouquet. She turned to Stein and shrugged. This was followed by a series of winks, nudges, elbows and wolf-whistles by the men around Stein.

"Mama…what are they doing to Papa?" Stitches tugged at her mother's dress. Marie leant down to her daughter.

"Well, Stitches, they say that, whoever catches the bride's bouquet at a wedding is going to be the next one to get married." Marie said. Stitches shook her head and began to announce very loudly to the wedding party.

"Well, my mama and papa don't _need_ to get married, because they love each other very much and they don't need a piece of paper." Stitches proclaimed to the group as her parents had told her to say many times before. The group all gave noises of endearment and even began to applaud the little girl's confidence.

"Well said, Stitches." Marie said, kissing her daughter on the cheek. Marie walked over to Stein and hugged him, leaning against him, before looking around and biting her lip.

"Give me two seconds." Marie said, leaning down to her daughter and taking her hand, walking her over to Spirit.

"Spirit, could you look after Stitches for a little while?" Marie asked. Before Spirit could respond, Marie smiled.

"Thanks, Spirit." Marie said, kissing the Deathscythe on the cheek. Marie walked past Stein and grabbed the bottom of his tie.

"_This_ is the primary use of the tie; a boyfriend leash." Marie said.

"What?" Stein asked. Marie smirked slightly as she poked her head around the door of the women's bathroom.

"We're good." Marie said, dragging Stein by his tie into the bathroom.

After a little while, Stein and Marie emerged, Marie leaving a short time after Stein. They eventually made their way back to Spirit and Stitches.

"Where have _you two_ been?" Spirit asked.

"Oh, we were just outside, getting some fresh air." Marie said. Spirit nodded dubiously. Stitches had dragged Stein off to show him the smoke machine in the corner of the dance floor.

"Nice try, Marie." Spirit smirked.

"What?" Marie asked.

"You put his tie back on backwards." Spirit smirked. Marie sighed in defeat. There were two things Spirit knew about; the cabaret club business and sex.

"I still got ten bucks off of you." Marie smirked. Spirit sighed and leant his elbow on Marie's head.

"Hey!" Marie exclaimed, crossing her arms.

"Worked in school, still works now." Spirit smirked.

"Congratulations on being a father-in-law." Marie smiled.

"I'm going to make that shinigami's life a living hell." Spirit laughed.

"No, you're not. Because that would make Maka unhappy with you." Marie said. Spirit nodded.

"You know me too well." Spirit replied.

The reception slowly petered out, with the couple leaving for their honeymoon not long after Marie and Spirit's conversation. Stein and Marie arrived home, Stein carrying an asleep Stitches, and they put her to bed.

"Goodnight, Stitches." Marie said, kissing her on the forehead. Marie and Stein left her to fall asleep once again.

"Just think. One day, it could be Stitches." Marie sighed.

"It could be." Stein nodded.

"I just hope you keep it together a little better than Spirit did." Marie smirked. Stein nodded, walking around behind Marie and sliding his arm around her waist. He pulled her hair away from her face with his spare hand.

"I love you." he whispered in Marie's ear.

"I love you too." she simply replied.

**A/N: Professionalism: Stein and Marie are doing it right. Because dumping your child with Spirit and going to the bathrooms to have a sexy rumpus at your ex-students' wedding is appropriate. :D**


	20. Mina's Sleeping Over

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to any parent who has had to endure a sleepover. My apologies.**

_~Stitches – 8 years, 8 months~_

_Stitches is redefining the word 'overjoyed.'_

_Mina is coming over for a sleepover after school this Friday, and that's all she's been talking about. _

_Mina is a very nice little girl, though. She's very protective of Stitches, seeing as she's quite a few months older than Stitches is; nine, in fact. She's a little ball of energy, and she balances out Stitches' usually placid, calm demeanour._

_I say usually, because Stitches can be a little rambunctious sometimes. For the most part, however, she's a little angel. She's a daddy's girl in a __big__ way, though. She's got Stein wrapped around her little finger, completely and utterly. _

_Stein and I love her more than we could ever imagine. I always think back to the day that Naigus told me that I was pregnant; never in a million years did I think that I was going to end up with a little girl like Stitches. She's gorgeous and she's well-behaved. For the most part. And she's really, really smart. _

_She takes after her father in that department._

_Alright, I'd best be off. Stitches is making me go through hers and Mina's sleeping arrangements __again__._

_Marie x_

* * *

><p>Marie walked through the doors of the laboratory with not one but two little girls that day. Stitches walked into the laboratory before Mina, who walked in with a look of amazement on her face.<p>

"_Wow!_" Mina exclaimed.

"This is my house." Stitches smiled.

"This is _so_ cool…uh…what do I call you, ma'am?" Mina asked, looking at Marie.

"You can call me Marie." Marie smiled at the little girl.

"Okay, Marie." Mina said, blushing slightly at the prospect of calling an adult by their first name.

"You two going to go into your room, Stitches?" Marie asked. Stitches nodded, took Mina's hand and walked into her bedroom. She pointed to the little mattress down on the floor next to her bed.

"That's where you're going to sleep. Unless you get too sore, in that case, you can take my bed." Stitches said, throwing herself onto her bed. Mina sat next to her.

"You're such a good friend, Stitches." Mina smiled. Stitches smiled. She and Mina had been best friends for 2 and a half years now, and they were virtually inseparable. Meanwhile, Marie was talking to Stein who had just walked in the door after coming home from Shibusen.

"Now, you've got to try your hardest not to be threatening." Marie said.

"Why? I look harmless." Stein said, sarcastically.

"Yes, but you're not someone that an eight-year-old would like to meet in a dark alley." Marie crossed her arms.

"I don't think an eight-year-old would want to meet _anyone_ in a dark alley. Let alone the question of _why_ an eight-year-old is anywhere near a dark alley." Stein said. Marie rolled her eyes.

"I know where your daughter gets it from." Marie said, kissing Stein on the cheek before going to check on her daughter.

"Gets _what_ from? Stein asked. Marie laughed but did not respond. Stein shook his head and rolled his chair back over to his computer desk.

"Stitches, Mina, are you guys okay?" Marie asked. The two little girls poked their heads out from underneath Stitches' bed.

"Yes, Mama." Stitches smiled. Mina smiled widely, dust specks through her long mop of red hair.

"What are you two doing under there?" Marie asked, her hands on her hips, smirking slightly.

"Playing." Mina replied.

"We're hunting dust bunnies!" Stitches smiled.

"Well, I think they've all hidden in your hair, girls." Marie said, walking over to the girls and kneeling down by them. The two pulled themselves out from underneath the bed and knelt in front of Marie.

"Come here, Mina." Marie said, taking the little girl's hand and pulling her to kneel in front of her. She smiled slightly and brushed the dust off of the top of Mina's hair. She then did the same to her daughter, although, it was more difficult with Stitches' hair. When the dust blends in with the hair colour, it's hard to know whether or not you've got it all.

"There we go," Marie said, smiling, "So, would you two like something to eat?"

"Yes please, Marie." Mina said, sweetly. Marie smiled at the little girl's manners and walked out of Stitches' room, with Stitches and Mina following. Stitches caught sight of her father, smiled widely and ran over to hug him.

"Hi, Papa." Stitches smiled. Stein smirked and hugged the little girl back.

"Hello, Stitches." he replied.

"Did you have a good day, Papa?" Stitches asked, looking up at her father with expectant eyes.

"It was alright. You?" Stein asked.

"I had a good day. And, and then, Mina came home with me." Stitches smiled. Mina turned at the sound of her name.

"Huh?" she asked. Stitches walked over to Mina.

"I was just telling my papa that you came home with me." Stitches said.

"Oh, yeah." Mina smiled. Stitches walked back over to her father and Mina followed.

"Hi, Doctor." Mina waved. Stein looked down at the little girl, who was a little taller than his own daughter. Then again, that wasn't exactly difficult given that Stitches took after her mother in the height department.

"Hello, Mina. Hope you're not causing too much mischief." Stein said. Mina smiled slightly.

"No, sir. If anything goes wrong, Stitches did it." Mina smiled. Stitches turned to Mina, her mouth gaping open.

"I won't do it!" Stitches said. Mina turned to Stitches and the girls began to laugh. Stein shook his head. Females were confusing, even at that age. Marie walked over to the girls with a small plate of biscuits.

"Here you go." Marie knelt down. Stitches took the plate and kissed her mother on the cheek.

"Thanks, Mama." Stitches said, walking over to her room with the biscuits, Mina in tow. Stein turned to Marie.

"She's good for Stitches." Stein said.

"How so?" Marie asked.

"Stitches is less anxious around Mina. Their souls match very well." Stein said.

"Well, Mina's parents were both meisters. Potential partners?" Marie asked. Stein sighed.

"I'd like to say that, but that's a decision that has to be left up to Stitches. And it doesn't have to be made for a little while." Stein said.

"I agree." Marie said, walking up behind Stein and resting her hands on his shoulders. Giggling, talking and general noise erupted from Stitches' room, causing Marie to smile.

"They're good kids." Marie smiled.

* * *

><p>"And we're going to stay up <em>all<em> night, isn't that right, Mina?" Stitches asked. She and Mina were in their pyjamas, explaining their sleepover plans to Marie and Stein. It was nine at night.

"All night! Wow, that's a long time." Marie said.

"We can stay up." Mina smiled.

"Okay, then. I'm going to go out in the lounge room. Good luck staying up all night, girls!" Mariesaid. The girls, who were both in their beds, waved as Marie left the room.

"Goodnight, girls." Stein gave a small smile before switching off the light, walking out of the room and closing the door around.

"All night?" Stein asked, dubiously.

"Nine-thirty. If that." Marie said. Stein nodded.

"I figured." Stein replied.

Meanwhile the girls were chatting in a whisper, Stitches' nightlight their only illumination.

"Did you hear that Jamie wants to _hold hands_ with Connor?" Stitches whispered. Mina grimaced.

"But she's going to get _boy germs_!" Mina exclaimed, quietly.

"I know! It's g-gross…" Stitches yawned.

"Maybe one day boys will get rid of their germs." Mina mused.

"Maybe they will. _Some_ boys aren't too bad." Stitches replied.

"Some of them are okay, sorta." Mina stretched.

"Papa says that I can't have a boyfriend until I'm thirty-two. Maybe that means that's when boy germs go away." Stitches said.

"Well, your papa is a doctor. He must know all about it." Mina said.

"Yeah, he must." Stitches said, her eyelids getting heavy.

"D-D'you think it's been all night, yet, Stitches?" Mina asked, yawning.

"I…I think so." Stitches nodded. Stitches was known as the smartest person in the class. Therefore, if she said it had been all night, it had been all night.

"Okay. Goodnight, Stitches." Mina said, turning over and pulling the covers over herself.

"Goodnight, Mina." Stitches replied. Before they fell asleep, Mina spoke up.

"Best friends?" she asked.

"Best friends for life." Stitches replied. A few minutes after they'd fallen asleep, Marie poked her head in. She saw the two sleeping girls and smiled. She shut the door and turned to Stein.

"Apparently it's been all night." Marie said. Stein nodded. Marie walked over to Stein and wrapped her arm around his waist.

"She's growing up, Stein." Marie said.

"She is." Stein conceded.

**A/N: Geez, staying up 'til 9:30. What badasses.**


	21. Who's Expecting Now?

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to everybody in the world except for Alena Rashel.**

**And Kid/Maka alert, people :P**

* * *

><p><em>~Stitches – 9 years, 3 months~<em>

_Something's up with Maka._

_I'm not sure what it is, but she's been flitting around Shibusen with a different sort of glow about her. _

_I've got an inkling. But I really shouldn't presume. _

_So I won't._

_Alright, I'm sorry that this is such a short entry. Because I've got an awful lot of work to get done. This year's Ultimate Written Exam is coming up and Stein and I have to write it._

_Alright, then._

_Marie x_

* * *

><p>Marie was sitting in the faculty room, all by herself. She was pretty sure that there was a fight going on in the courtyard and, even though only one teacher had to supervise, more often went. She glanced over at the door and saw Maka poking her head around the doorframe.<p>

"Ah, Marie-sensei, I found you." Maka smiled, walking over to the couch where Marie sat and sitting down, tucking her feet under herself.

"What is it, Maka?" Marie asked.

"I was wondering…would I be able to tell you something?" Maka asked. Marie nodded.

"Of course. You don't have to ask." Marie said.

"It's just… It's personal and… I've not told anyone yet." Maka smiled. Marie tilted her head to the side slightly. She was pretty sure she knew what Maka was on about.

"Not even Kid?" Marie asked. Maka shook her head.

"No." Maka said.

"Okay, then. What is it, Maka?" Marie asked. Maka's smile widened and she put her hands on top of Marie's. She took a deep breath and smiled.

"I'm having a baby." Maka smiled. Marie smiled back and gave Maka a hug.

"Oh, Maka, that's _fantastic!_" Marie said, letting go of Maka's hug.

"I was wondering… if I could have some advice. You know, seeing as my mother is…" Maka trailed off. Marie put her hand on Maka's shoulder and nodded.

"It's fine. I'll tell you everything you want to know." Marie said.

"Would you like to come to Death Mansion after school is over?" Maka asked. Marie nodded.

"That sounds fine. I'll let Stein know." Marie said. Maka nodded and the two women stood, Marie hugging Maka one more time.

"Congratulations, Maka." Marie smiled.

* * *

><p>"It's a very nice place you've turned this into." Marie said, looking around Death Mansion, nursing a cup of tea. Maka, who was sitting next to her, turned to face her.<p>

"Well, you can tell a woman lives here now. When we were dating… goodness." Maka laughed slightly, remembering back when Death Mansion looked more like a bachelor pad.

"So, when will Kid arrive home?" Marie asked.

"About twenty minutes, I think." Maka sighed.

"Okay. So, are you going to tell him tonight?" Marie asked.

"I…I think so." Maka said, apprehensively.

"What's wrong?" Marie asked.

"Well, Kid and I _wanted_ children, but… this little one wasn't exactly planned." Maka said. Realisation washed over Marie as she sighed, taking Maka's hand in her own.

"Yes, but Kid will support you. He'll stand by you. Especially with a shinigami child. They're rare and they're delicate." Marie said.

"I know. I know." Maka said.

"So, how far along are you?" Marie asked.

"About three weeks." Maka said, resting her hands on her stomach.

"So, no morning sickness or anything?" Marie asked. Maka shook her head.

"No." Maka said.

"You're lucky. I had it really badly." Marie said.

"We all noticed." Maka smirked. Marie nodded.

"Well, it wasn't hard to notice." Marie replied. "So, what else do you want to know?"

"Does labour hurt?" Maka asked. Marie sighed and took Maka's hand.

"It does hurt. But it's completely and utterly, 100% worth it." Marie said. Maka recoiled slightly, but understood what Marie said.

"Thank you for telling me the truth. I've been to a specialist, and she wouldn't tell me straight." Maka said. Marie nodded and noticed that Maka's expression changed slightly.

"I… This could be totally inappropriate and weird to ask but-"

"Sex?" Marie asked. Maka's eyes widened and she coughed slightly at Marie's abruptness.

"How'd you know?" Maka asked. Marie gave a small laugh and smiled.

"Call it women's intuition." Marie smirked.

"So… what's it like?" Maka asked. Marie nodded.

"Honestly? I don't know about everyone else, but for _me… _Pretty darn good." Marie gave a tiny smile. Maka couldn't help but laugh, for if not she was sure she would have died of embarrassment.

"The trick is navigating the stomach. But, early on, you'll be fine. Later on… well, it helps if you're good at Tetris." Marie said. Maka smiled and clasped her hands. She continued to chat with her former teacher, quite candidly and openly, until Kid walked in the door. He really didn't look much different, a little older, but much the same as when he graduated from Shibusen.

"Hi, Maka, Marie-sen-_Marie-sensei?_" Kid asked, taken slightly aback. Maka got up off of the couch and wandered over to Kid, kissing him gently on the lips.

"What's Marie-sensei doing here?" Kid asked.

"She was giving me advice. I have news." Maka said. Kid stood back slightly as Maka placed her hands on her stomach.

"We're having a baby, Kid." Maka said, looking at the shinigami with expectant eyes. He was taken aback, and concentrated on Maka's soul. There it was, clear as day. There were two responses in there.

"Wow," Kid said, scratching the back of his head, "You're really pregnant."

"I am. We're going to be _parents_, Kid." Maka said. The news hit Kid at that moment and he hugged his wife, kissing her on the forehead.

"A baby. A baby of our very own." Kid whispered in Maka's ear. Marie stood up and smiled at the spectacle.

"Congratulations, you two. Well, I'd best get home to Stein and Stitches. And, Maka, don't hesitate to call." Marie said. Maka nodded.

"Thank you _so_ much, Marie-sensei." Maka said.

"That's fine, Maka." Marie smiled. Kid walked over to Marie.

"Thank you for reassuring her. Knowing Maka, she would have been freaking out." Kid said. Marie smiled.

"She's got reason to be. You take care of her now, okay?" Marie asked. Kid nodded.

"I will." Kid said.

"Make him do _everything_ around the house." Marie said to Maka. Maka chuckled slightly as Kid walked behind her, wrapping his arms around her midsection.

"Alright, you two. I'll see you soon." Marie said, walking out the door.

* * *

><p>"Maka's having a <em>baby? <em>Oh, that's fantastic, Mama!" Stitches said, sitting in her bed. Marie smiled.

"Yes, it is. Alright, you've got to get some sleep. School tomorrow." Marie said, kissing Stitches on the forehead. Stitches nodded and pulled herself under the covers, turning over to face the wall. Marie walked out of the room, turned off the light and shut the door. As she did, the phone rang.

"I've got it." Marie said, walking over to the phone. She picked it up and had to hold it away from her head.

"_Spirit!_ Spirit, calm down. Speak quietly." Marie said. She brought the receiver back to her ear and listened.

"Yeah, she told me first. She wanted my advice." Marie began. Spirit spoke on the other end of the line.

"Well, _yes, _Spirit, but you've never exactly had to push one out, have you?" Marie asked. Spirit must have conceded that as his exclamations died down.

"Alright, Spirit, I've got to go. Alright, congratulations. Goodbye." Marie said, hanging up the phone.

"Was that a gloating phone call?" Stein asked. Marie turned to him with a puzzled expression on her face.

"I'm really not sure." Marie said.

"It was just a lot of screaming?" Stein asked.

"Yes." Marie said. Stein nodded as he sat down on the couch, Marie sitting down next to him and leaning on his shoulder.

"He was like this when Kami told him she was pregnant with Maka. Insane." Stein said.

"Well, we weren't exactly level-headed when we found out about Stitches." Marie reminded Stein. He looked up in thought.

"There was a lot of shouting." Stein recalled.

"And a lot of crying." Marie remembered.

"And trying to work out how the hell it happened." Stein added.

"Damn crafty sperm." Marie remarked. Stein looked down at Marie, shook his head and laughed. He loved her; the way she'd just say anything to him, without inhibition.

"In retrospect, aren't you _glad_ I've got crafty sperm?" Stein asked. Marie closed her eyes and laid her head on Stein's chest. She looked over into her daughter's room, making out her sleeping silhouette in the dark.

"Definitely." Marie whispered.

**A/N: 'Damn crafty sperm.' I'm a modern day Shakespeare.**


	22. Sticks And Stones

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to all victims of bullying. I've been there. It sucks. **

* * *

><p><em>~Stitches –9 years, 8 months~<em>

_So, what's been happening lately…hmm…?_

_Well, Maka's five months pregnant. She's having a little boy, which is adorable. She's been waddling around Shibusen. I feel for her. I know her pain._

_Shinigami-sama said that she's probably going to be teaching E.A.T kids in about four years. _

_Do you know when Stitches starts at Shibusen, probably in the E.A.T class?_

_In four years._

_It'd be amazing if Maka was Stitches' teacher. Because I trust her. Stein and I probably aren't going to continue being the Crescent Moon home room teachers when Stitches gets there. We're probably going to go back to specialist subjects, only so we don't embarrass Stitches. It's one thing to have your parents as teachers for just one of your subjects, let alone having them as your teacher all the time._

_It's good, because I can continue teaching without getting in too deep with the students. Because I don't know how many more graduations I can deal with._

_Alright, I'd best go._

_Marie x_

* * *

><p>That recess at school, Stitches heard a sickeningly familiar catch call.<p>

"Old Lady." the boy approached the nine-year-old and her ten-year-old redheaded friend. He was the one who had bullied Stitches all through school.

His name was Aaron, he was four years older than Stitches and Mina, and was lightly built. He didn't use his fists to bully, however. He used words. And he could get away with it. His father had a high ranking spot in Shibusen, similar to the position Kid held. He had straight, mid-length black hair and dark eyes.

Stitches turned around; she knew they meant her. Mina turned around as well, a scowl on her face.

"What do _you_ want?" Mina asked.

"I'm not talking to you, Matchstick." Aaron snarled. Mina's fists balled but Stitches held her back.

"Mina, it's okay." Stitches said, standing in front of her best friend.

"You know how _my father_ works in the internal affairs division at Shibusen?" Aaron asked, derisively.

"Yes." Stitches said.

"Well, he knows people there who know your parents. And one of them told my father something. And he told me." Aaron said. Stitches raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah? What was that?" Stitches asked. She could nearly feel the rage radiating from Mina behind her.

"He told me that _you_ were a mistake." Aaron snarled. Stitches felt like she'd just been kicked in the chest by a rampaging elephant.

"What?" she choked, like all of the air had been sucked from her lungs.

"Your mother and father _didn't want you_. You were the result of a night of unclear thinking and failed contraception." Aaron said.

"Alright, you…" Mina said, trying desperately to push past Stitches. But Stitches held her ground.

"No… what do you mean… of course they want me." Stitches said, confusedly. It didn't help that she had no idea what the hell 'contraception' was.

"You _shouldn't be here_. Your mother and father didn't want a baby. But now they're stuck with _you_. You're a little _mistake_." Aaron spat.

"Stitches…" Mina said.

"M-Mistake?" Stitches said.

Aaron chuckled and walked away, leaving Mina to catch Stitches when she fainted.

* * *

><p>Stitches awoke in an unfamiliar bed. She saw her father hovering over her.<p>

"Stitches." Stein sighed with relief, pressing his hand to the side of Stitches' face and wiping off the involuntary tears that fell from her eyes as she awoke.

"Marie, she's awake." Stein said, quietly. Stitches began to hyperventilate.

"P-Papa, where… where am I?" Stitches asked, grabbing Stein's wrist. Stein sat her up next to him and held her close.

"It's alright, Stitches. You fainted. You're in the sick bay. You're fine." Stein said. The little girl calmed slightly as Marie walked into the sick bay, followed by Mina. Marie's eyes were red. Mina had told her what Aaron had said to Stitches, the words that had such a profound effect on Stitches that she fainted.

"Mina, thank you for telling us this." Marie said, hugging the little girl.

"Mina, are you alright to go to class?" the school counsellor asked. Mina nodded.

"Can I just see Stitches for a second?" Mina asked. The counsellor nodded and the redheaded girl slipped past Marie and Stein and hugged her best friend. Stitches latched onto the other little girl. While they did this, Marie told Stein what Mina had told her.

"Stitches. Are you okay?" Mina asked, innocently.

"I think so." Stitches sighed.

"Aaron's gotten into trouble. His papa came down here and yelled at him. His papa never said that you were a… y'know. Miss Grace said that he's not going to be coming back here. He might not get into Shibusen." Mina said.

"O-Okay." Stitches said, not quite knowing how to properly process that information. Mina hugged her friend one last time and walked out of the sick bay. Marie knelt down next to her daughter and kissed her on the forehead.

"Oh, Stitches." Marie sighed, holding her daughter close, tears falling from her eyes.

"Mama." Stitches whispered, hugging Marie back.

"Honey…" Marie sniffed.

"Mama… Papa… can I ask you a question?" Stitches asked. Marie and Stein looked at each other.

"As soon as we get home, okay? Then you can ask us all the questions you want." Marie said. Stitches nodded and took Stein's hand shakily, walking out of the sick bay. As they got out, they walked past Aaron and the counsellor/

"Now, Aaron, I'm going to leave you with Stitches and her parents, and I want you to apologise." the counsellor nodded and walked into her office, looking for some paperwork.

"I'm sorry." he said, without any meaning whatsoever. Before anyone could say anything about the lacklustre apology, Stitches cried out.

"No! You're not sorry!" she sobbed.

"Yes I am, you idiot!" the boy responded. Tears fell from Stitches' eyes and she exclaimed once more.

"You're not sorry! You just wanted to hurt me, and if you come back, you'll hurt me again!" Stitches cried, letting go of her father's hand and running out of the office.

"She's being stupid!" Aaron exclaimed. Marie furrowed her brows and crossed her arms.

"Aaron, she's not stupid! She's hurt by what you said!" Marie exclaimed. Aaron frowned at the woman and turned his head away, crossing his arms. Stein growled and Marie _knew _what was coming.

"Stein, he's only twelve!" she whispered.

"I don't care." Stein walked to face the smaller boy, a deep scowl on his face.

"If you hurt my daughter _ever_ again," he snarled, "you will not _live_ to _regret_ it." he cracked his knuckles and walked away from the boy, going to find his daughter. Marie bit her lip as a man came bundling past her.

"Oh, goodness, Ms Mjolnir. I'm sorry," the man's eyes flicked to Aaron's – he was obviously his father, "_Aaron, _what did you do?" The boy simply stayed with a grimace on his face and the man looked at Marie.

"Ms Mjolnir, again, I'm very sorry. I'm not sure my son will be getting the _privilege_ of attending a fine institution such as Shibusen." Aaron's father glared. The boy's eyes widened.

"Father! No!" Aaron begged. Aaron's father shook his head.

"No. I will _not_ have it. Do you _see _what you did to that poor girl? She is out of the front of the school _sobbing_ because of you, Aaron!" his father exclaimed. Aaron became slightly more sheepish now.

"She's younger than you, she's weaker than you… but now I can see that she's a good deal smarter than you. I did not _raise_ you to be a bully. What will your mother think?" Aaron's father asked. Aaron could not respond.

"Ms Mjolnir, my son will not be bothering your daughter any longer. I'm so sorry, once again. Please, give young Shelley my apologies too." Aaron's father shook Marie's hand and ashamedly dragged his son out of the office. Marie walked out of the office and down the stairs where Stein was sitting with a sobbing Stitches kneeling on his lap, her arms thrown around his neck and her head in the crook of his neck. He was shaking his head and had his eyes closed, one hand cradling the back of Stitches' head, the other resting on her back. Marie approached tentatively.

"Stein." Marie said, leaning down and placing a hand on Stein's shoulder. Stein turned around and sighed.

"It's… It's disgusting, Marie." Stein said, looking down at his daughter. Marie sat next to him and leant her head against his shoulder.

"I know. I know, Stein." Marie said, closing her eyes. Stitches pulled herself to a sitting position and sniffed.

"I'm sorry I didn't accept his apology, Papa." Stitches snivelled. Stein shook his head.

"He didn't mean it." Stein said, through gritted teeth.

"Mama… could I ask t-the question now?" Stitches asked. Marie looked at Stein. Stein looked back. They knew _exactly_ what the question was going to be.

"Okay." Marie nodded, taking her daughter's hand.

"W-Was I a m-mistake?" Stitches choked out, shakily. Marie had to fight really hard to fight back tears. She thought she'd be strong enough to answer. But she wasn't. So, Stein took over.

"No," Stein sighed, "Stitches, do you know the difference between a mistake and an accident?" As Stein turned the little girl to face him, she shook her head.

"Well, an accident is something that wasn't supposed to happen, but it did. A mistake is also something that wasn't supposed to happen, but it did. The difference is, you look back on a mistake as a bad thing. An accident doesn't _have_ to be bad." Stein said.

"So… What am I?" Stitches asked.

"Your creation, yes, was an accident. Yes, Mama and I didn't _plan_ on having a baby. But we loved each other very much, and still do. And as soon as Mama and I saw you, when you were born… We knew that you were the single greatest accident that would ever happen to us. So, no. You are not a mistake." Stein said.

"Th… Then why did h-he say that I was a m-mistake?" Stitches asked, less stressed than before but still unsettled. Marie looked at Stein and nodded, and she took over.

"Because he's a silly little boy, Stitches. You were not a mistake. You _are _not a mistake. And you never, _ever_ let anyone tell you differently." Marie insisted. Stitches gave a small smile and hugged her father tightly. before reaching her arms out to her mother. Marie moved over and wrapped her arms around Stitches, rubbing circles into her back.

"We love you _so much, _baby." Marie murmured.

Marie and Stein were there, and would _always_, without fail, be there for the most important girl in the world to them.

**A/N: That whole 'Do you know the difference between an accident and a mistake' passage has been planned for a while. I hope I did the portrayal of bullying victims' justice. I've been bullied in the past, and it ****sucks****. So, I wanted to show something to do with it in my story.s**


	23. Baby Death's Coming!

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to that little weird thing that lives in the corner of my mind.**

* * *

><p><em>~Stitches – 10 years old~<em>

_So, not a lot has been happening lately._

_Stitches is a lot happier at school now. That terrible bully Aaron has been taken out of the school. I feel bad for his parents, though. It's not their fault._

_Oh, and Maka's almost ready to burst. I saw her the other day, poor girl. She's naturally tiny, and has to carry around all this ext-_

* * *

><p>"Who could be calling this late?" Marie asked, putting her journal to the side and sliding out of bed. As she walked out the door, Stein reached over to read the journal. Without turning around or batting an eyelid, Marie spoke.<p>

"Don't even think about it, honey." Marie said. Stein recoiled and sighed. Marie had eyes in the back of her head. Marie picked up the phone.

"Hello," Marie's eye widened and she gasped when she realised who it was, "_Spirit?"_

"Oh, my goodness. Do you want us down there? Yeah? Okay, give us fifteen minutes. It's okay to ask me for help, Spirit. We'll be there as soon as possible, okay? Try to keep Kid calm. Alright, bye." Marie said, hanging up the phone and walking quickly to the bedroom.

"Get dressed, Stein. Maka's in labour and Spirit and Kid are _freaking out_." Marie said, getting herself dressed quickly. Stein simply nodded and got out of bed, quickly dressing before walking into Stitches' room, walking over to her bed and kneeling down. When he clicked on the small light beside his daughter's bed, her dark, honey coloured eyes cracked open.

"P-Papa? What is it?" Stitches yawned. Stein pushed his glasses over the bridge of his nose and placed his hand on his daughter's shoulder.

"You've got to get out of bed, Stitches." Stein said, quietly. Stitches raised her eyebrows.

"But Papa! It's midnight and I have school tomorrow!" she replied.

"I don't think so, Stitches," Stein stated, "because Maka's having her baby." Stitches gasped and she sat bolt upright.

"Can we go?" Stitches asked, excitedly.

"Well, Mama and I aren't leaving you at home on your own, are we?" Stein asked. Stitches shook her head and jumped from her bed, Stein smirking and shaking his head.

"Come on, Papa! The baby!" she exclaimed. Stein sighed and stood up.

Stitches was _definitely_ her mother's daughter.

* * *

><p>Stein, Marie and Stitches walked into the maternity waiting area, Stein carrying Stitches, who had fallen asleep, despite her best efforts to stay awake. Marie was confronted by Spirit and Kid, who automatically flew to the only woman they knew who was there who had had actually given birth before. Soul, Liz and Patti were also there.<p>

Black*Star and Tsubaki weren't, however, as they were on a mission. Tsubaki had given birth before; twins, in fact, but she and Black*Star were on their first mission since their children were born. It was quite important, and it was hard enough for them to leave their children, let alone get time off to come back and then leave again.

"Marie, thank goodness. Maka's kicked Kid out of the room twice and me out three times." Spirit said. Marie sighed.

"Do you want me to go in there?" Marie asked, rolling her eyes.

"Yes please, Marie-sensei." Kid said.

"You're about to be a father, you're about to be a grandfather, and you're sending _me_ in there to do your dirty work?" Marie asked, looking at Kid and then Spirit. When they nodded like Marie's question was the most obvious question posed in history, she sighed.

"Alright. But, Kid, you've got to be there when the baby is _actually_ born. Because you'll regret it if you're not. Room number?" Marie asked.

"Eighty-eight." Kid said, smiling. Marie sighed.

"Of course." she said, walking out of the waiting area. Spirit had taken a seat next to Stein, and his niece was currently sleeping, stretched out over both himself and her father. Her head was in Stein's lap and her legs sprawled over Spirit's. Stein cradled the back of his daughter's head before looking over at Spirit.

"So, have you decided what the boy's going to call you?" Stein asked.

"Huh?" Spirit asked through red tresses.

"Gramps? Pop? Grandpa Spirit. It's got a nice ring to it." Stein provoked the redhead.

"Shut up." Spirit said. Stein sighed.

"You'll be fine. Maka will be fine. And just because you're a grandfather doesn't mean that you're old." Stein reassured Spirit.

"Well, I suppose…" Spirit began.

"Though you _are_ older than I am." Stein smirked.

"Thanks." Spirit replied, sarcastically. Meanwhile, Marie had found room eighty-eight and had asked a nurse to enter.

"Relation to the patient?" she asked.

"Not directly related, but I'm the only female around her who has given birth. I'm from the gang in waiting room 4B." Marie said. The nurse looked over at the packed waiting room and smiled.

"I see. Just put this on and go right on in." The nurse said. Marie took the hairnet off of the nurse, put it on and opened the door tentatively.

"_Get the hell out!_" Maka yelled. Marie sighed.

"Maka, it's Marie-sensei." Marie said, softly. Maka's voice softened.

"Oh, Marie-sensei, _help me_!" Maka said. Marie walked over to sit at Maka's side, taking her hand. Her face was flushed and her hair was a mess. She thought about what she must have looked like when she had Stitches.

"Marie-sensei, my father's an _idiot_ and Kid's a _wuss_ and they're all just _useless!_" Maka yelled, through gritted teeth. Marie sighed, placing her hand on Maka's forehead.

"So why am I here?" Marie asked. Maka sighed and chuckled. She took a deep breath and responded as her contraction ended.

"Because I need _you_ Marie-sensei. Because the men in my life," Maka gave an exasperated sigh, "well, they're no help." Maka said, through ragged pants. Marie smiled slightly.

"Maka, I know that he may seem like a useless wuss, but if you don't have Kid in here, then you'll regret it. I don't know what I'd have done if Stein wasn't there when Stitches was born." Marie said.

"I…I know." Maka confessed.

"I'll sit here with you until the doctor says the baby's nearly arrived. Then I'll get Kid and I'll leave you two alone, alright?" Marie asked. Maka nodded. Maka then bore down, squeezed Marie's hand and began to push.

"_So this must have been what Stein felt… I'm a horrible human being._" Marie thought, trying to reassure Maka. When the contraction was over, Maka threw her head to the side.

"Th-Thank you for being here…" Maka said. Marie nodded.

"That's fine." Marie replied. After a few more pushes, the doctor spoke up.

"I think it's only going to take a few more pushes until we see this little shinigami guy." she said. Marie nodded.

"C-Can you get K-Kid? Tell him I won't kick him out. A-And while you're there, could you tell Papa that I… I love him?" Maka said, breathily. Marie nodded and stood from her seat, squeezing Maka's hand one last time before walking out of the room and to the waiting area.

"You're up, Kid. She said she wouldn't kick you out. But it's only a matter of minutes before your son is born. So get in there." Marie said, tiredly. Kid nodded and walked down to the room. Marie, meanwhile, took the other seat next to Stein. She leant her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry." Marie said. Stein raised an eyebrow and looked at Marie.

"Why?" Stein asked. Marie held out her right hand, the one that Maka had been holding. It was red, and still had obvious hand indentations in it.

"Oh." Stein said, smirking slightly.

"Yeah." Marie said, stroking her daughter's hair.

"I think the circulation's _finally_ coming back." Stein said. Marie smirked and closed her eyes.

"H-How was she? Spirit asked. Marie lifted her head.

"She was doing _really_ well, Spirit. And she told me to tell you that she loves you." Marie smiled.

"Really?" Spirit asked. Marie nodded.

"Okay." Spirit said, exhaling. Just then, an almighty scream rang out through the ward, causing everyone to stop what they were doing.

"Okay, that sounded familiar." Stein said. Spirit looked over at Stein and nodded in pure agreement. It may have been a long while ago, but he had been at Maka's birth, sitting next to Kami, having his circulation cut off and his eardrums burst.

"It did." Spirit said. After about fifteen minutes, a wide smile appeared on Marie's face.

"Look." Marie whispered, pointing to a doting, slightly quivering Kid and the little blue bundle in his arms. He walked into the waiting room and the whole room hushed.

"Meet Death the Kid II. Or Junior, for short." Kid said. Spirit stood first, gently moving Stitches' legs onto the seat, and walked over to see the little boy; his _grandson_. He tried not to think about it that way, though.

"Would you like to hold him?" Kid asked. Spirit nodded and took the baby. Stitches awoke at this time, and looked over at the little bundle.

"Hey there, Stitches. Maka had her baby." Marie said, watching as Stitches yawned and slid ovcer to sit on her mother's lap.

"Really?" Stitches asked, sleepily.

"Yeah. A little boy. Now, you can come with Liz, Patti and I and see Maka first, then the baby, or you can stay with Papa and see the baby first and Maka later." Marie said.

"I'll go and see Maka, Mama." Stitches said, taking Marie's hand and walking out of the waiting room, Liz and Patti following. Stitches loved Maka like a sister. They walked into the room to see a tired, spent looking meister.

"Liz. Patti. Marie-sensei. Stitches. Hi, you guys." Maka said, tiredly.

"Hey, Maka." Liz said, walking up to Maka and hugging her.

"Maka! What's it like being a mama?" Patti exclaimed. Maka looked over at her, completely spent.

"I don't know, it hasn't quite hit me yet." Maka replied, her head sinking further into the pillow. Patti smiled before walking over to Stitches, playing a rather intense game of rock-paper-scissors with the ten-year-old.

"So, you're a mother." Marie smiled.

"I am." Maka said back.

"Was it as bad as you thought it was going to be?" Marie asked.

"I thought it was going to be a lot worse. At least Kid pulled it together." Maka smiled. Marie nodded.

"Oh, yeah. They pull it together eventually. They get the point after you yell at them a couple of times." Marie said. Maka laughed slightly.

"I think the threats of cutting off certain parts of his anatomy if he didn't get it together helped." Maka sighed. Marie giggled and shrugged

"Oh, I wish I could be respectable and say I didn't threaten Stein with that one. But I can't. Did you pull a _You did this to me!_ or a _We are never having sex again!_ on him?" Marie asked. Maka laughed and nodded.

"Oh, Death, yes." she smiled.

"My most memorable moment was the constant _Get this demon child out of me!_ and then, seeing her face and feeling so incredibly horrible!" Marie exclaimed. Maka nodded and gave a look of understanding.

"I know! Oh, I saw Junior's face, and the darling was screaming his little lungs out… I was just… it's overwhelming. Absolutely." Maka smiled. Marie nodded and smiled back before looking over at the short-haired blonde and the silver-haired girl.

"Aw! Man! You win again!" Patti exclaimed. Stitches laughed and yawned, walking over to the side of Maka's hospital bed.

"How are you, Maka-chan?" she asked, golden eyes now wide awake. Maka smiled and took Stitches' hand.

"I'm great. All the better for you being here." Maka said. Stitches giggled slightly and smiled.

"You're gonna make a great mama. Like my mama." Stitches smiled. Liz and Patti 'aww'ed and Marie and Maka smiled with pride.

"Thank you, Stitches." Maka said, quietly. Marie looked at the door as Stein walked through the door, quickly followed by a beaming redhead.

"Stitches, do you want to come and see Junior?" Stein asked. Stitches looked up at Maka, as though she needed her permission to be within the vicinity of her new son.

"Go, honey. I'm sure Junior wants to meet his Aunty Stitches." Maka said. Stitches gasped and her eyes widened. She then trembled slightly and ran over to Maka's bed, stopping before crash tackling her as she remembered that she had just given birth.

"Am I really his aunty?" Stitches asked. Maka laughed and nodded, smiling widely.

"Well, you are my little sister, aren't you?" Maka asked. Stitches blushed and nodded before turning to her father, a sudden look of duty on her face.

"I have to go and look after my… uh… uhm…" Stitches questioned herself. Marie leant down and whispered to her daughter.

"_Nephew._" she whispered.

"Yes! Nephew! Let's go, Papa!" Stitches walked out of the hospital room, Stein following her down the corridor. As they walked away, Spirit walked over to his daughter.

"Papa." she smiled, closing her eyes. Spirit smiled and leant down, gently kissing Maka on the forehead.

"He's gorgeous, my darling Maka-chan." he murmured.

"I love you, Papa." Maka said, quietly. Spirit smiled and nodded.

"I know. I love you too." he replied.

Stitches walked into the waiting room to see Junior in Kid's arms. She walked over to the shinigami and sat in the seat next to him. Kid looked down at the girl and gave a weary smile.

"Would you like to hold him?" Kid asked. Stitches nodded and held her arms out. Stein sat next to her to support the arm that would support Junior's head. Stitches' eyes lit up when the baby boy was laid in her arms. Marie walked into the waiting room at the instant Stitches' face lit up and she looked over at Stein, walking over to sit next to him.

"We should-" Marie began, but Stein stared back at her.

"Marie…" he said, sternly. Marie sighed and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Wouldn't you like another one?" Marie asked. Stein thought about it for a second before looking down at his daughter. His ten-year-old, compassionate, emotionally stable daughter was his world.

"No," Stein said, but as Marie's expression dropped he redeemed himself, "because I think we did pretty well on the first go." Marie's eyes softened and she kissed Stein on the cheek.

"Nice save." Marie gave a tiny smirk and looked on at Stitches, who was staring intently at Junior.

"Kid?" Stitches asked the shinigami next to her, who turned to face the girl.

"Yes?" Kid asked. Stitches smiled widely and looked down at Junior.

"Maka said that I was Junior's aunty. Is that… true?" Stitches asked. Kid gave a smile and nodded.

"Of course, Stitches," Kid said, "you're my wife's little sister."

Stitches blushed furiously and smiled at the shinigami, before looking at her parents, giggling and smiling at them.

"I'm his aunty!" she exclaimed quietly. Marie smiled widely and even Stein couldn't hold back a smirk.

"Yes, you are, sweetheart." Marie smiled.

**A/N: Alright, now I can see you going "Hang on. She only announced she was pregnant two damn chapters ago!" But this story has to move fast in order for me to a) Get Stitches to the age I want her to be at and b) Keep this story to thirty chapters. But, you know.**

**And, yes, I know the name's not very creative. Boo freakin' hoo.**

**AND the Spirit and Maka bonding moment. God, schwaah.**


	24. A Spectacular Occurrence

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to ALL THE THINGS!**

* * *

><p><em>~Stitches – 10 years, 6 months~ <em>

_Stitches needs glasses._

_She's been squinting and she keeps walking into things. It's got something to do with some… thingy… I don't know, Stein explained it to me. It went straight over my head._

_She's kind of excited but kind of weirded out at the same time. We had a near on half-hour conversation about my eyepatch, the other day, which was fun._

_Speaking of… Alright, this is really unrelated. But, Stein and I have been together for over eleven years._

_Geez. I keep doing this and feeling old._

_But then I remember that Spirit's a granddad and I feel alright._

_Oh, I'm mean._

_Marie x_

* * *

><p>"Okay, can you read the last line?" the optometrist asked. Stitches sighed.<p>

"No. That's why I'm here." Stitches said, crossing her arms. Marie looked down at her daughter, a raised eyebrow accompanying her gaze.

"_That comment was a little snippy… she's too young to be hormonal. I hope._" Marie thought to herself. She sat down next to Stitches as the optometrist wrote out the prescription.

"Okay, so, you're actually long-sighted. Which means that when things are up too close, they go blurry, right?" The optometrist said. Stitches nodded.

"Alright, so, we're going to get you some glasses today, alright?" the optometrist said. Stitches smiled and nodded.

"Okay." Stitches said, standing up off of the optometrist's chair. Marie put her hand on her daughter's shoulder and walked out with her. Stitches smiled up at her mother.

"_I must be imagining things. She's fine_." Marie thought, walking over to the children's glasses section.

"Alright, so, you've got all of these to choose from ." the optometrist said, leaving Stitches with Marie to make a choice.

"So, have you got any idea what you want, Stitches?" Marie asked.

"I don't know…" Stitches said, scratching her mop of silver hair. Marie knelt down and sighed.

"What's wrong, baby?" Marie asked. Stitches sighed and looked at her mother.

"I-It's just that… glasses are another reason for people to make fun of me…" Stitches said, fumbling with her hands. Marie sighed.

"Well, your papa has glasses, and people don't make fun of him." Marie said.

"Yeah, but he's the strongest meister ever to graduate from Shibusen and he's got a giant screw through his skull. I don't think people would make fun of him with or without glasses." Stitches said. Marie sighed.

"Alright. That wasn't a very good example. I think I'll have to get Aunt Yumi to come and have a talk with you. Does that sound good?" Marie said. Stitches nodded.

"Okay. Come on, let's pick some glasses." Stitches smiled. After trying on several pairs, Stitches finally settled on a simple black pair of glasses, which had silver stripes going down the side.

"So, are you sure those are the ones you want?" Marie asked. Stitches looked at her mother and nodded.

"You _sure _nobody's going to make fun of me?" Stitches asked.

"Baby," Marie sighed, "have you ever met your father?" Marie asked. Stitches raised an eyebrow and Marie smiled.

"Trust me, nobody's going to make fun of you. Because your father is so protective of you-"

"You're telling me." Stitches smiled. Marie gave a small laugh and kissed her daughter gently on the top of the head.

"You look beautiful, baby girl. You'll be just fine." Marie reassured her daughter.

* * *

><p>About a week after her glasses were ordered, Stitches, along with Marie and Stein, picked them up. When Stitches got them, she was a little apprehensive about having to wear them all the time. However, she eventually got used to them and even forgot she had them on when she walked into the café.<p>

"Yumi." Marie smiled, walking over to her friend and hugging her. She'd not seen Azusa for a little while.

"Hey, Stitches. Nice glasses." Azusa smiled, looking over at the little girl who was sitting next to her father in the booth.

"Wha-Oh, these? Yeah." Stitches said, remembering her eyewear and reverting to shy mode.

"What's wrong?" Azusa asked, taking a sip of her coffee. Marie and Azusa looked at each other. That comment was awfully reminiscent of the conversation they had about a decade ago, when Marie came and told Azusa she was pregnant.

"It's… It's just that… I don't want people to have another reason to make fun of me." Stitches said, leaning against her father. Stein looked down at her; a ten-year-old shouldn't have that sort of mindset. The visage of Aaron, his daughter's former tormentor, flickered in his mind, and he had to work really hard not to stab the table.

"I remember when I first got my glasses. Not many people made fun of me." Azusa said. Stitches looked up.

"R-Really? But what about the people who did?" Stitches asked.

"Well, mainly it was your Uncle Spirit. And I'd use logic on him. That'd shut him up for a little while." Azusa said, breaking a rare smirk to try and reassure Stitches.

"It's true." Stein said, looking at Stitches. She closed her eyes and laughed.

"Really?" Stitches asked, going to her mother for a final reassurance.

"Yeah. It's true. You guys were really mean to him." Marie pouted. Stein chuckled.

"I had to _live_ with him. Being 'mean' was my prerogative." Stein remarked.

"I…You…Goodness." Marie sighed, laughing. Stitches smiled slightly.

"So, I hear you've learnt to control your transformations, now." Azusa said to Stitches.

"Yeah. I have." Stitches said, apprehensively. She was a lot like Stein in that way as well, not boastful at all, even though she was advanced. However, unfortunately, that meant that she didn't interview well. She had real trouble telling people about her achievements.

"That's ridiculous; you're only ten. Though," Azusa turned to Marie, "It'd be nice having another female Deathscythe."

"Me? A Deathscythe? No." Stitches laughed incredulously.

"You're very talented, Stitches." Azusa said. Stitches buried her head into her father's side. Stein sighed and draped his arm around her shoulders, trying to calm her nerves.

"So, you're not getting very far with her shyness?" Azusa asked. Marie shook her head.

"You can blame this one's genes for _that_, thank you very much." Marie said, motioning to Stein.

"I'm not shy." Stein said.

"Which is why you lurk like a shadow at parties. And, really, any gathering of a lot of people." Marie said. Stein sighed.

"I'm not always like that." he said in a calm yet defensive tone.

"The only time you're _not _like that is if you're blind drunk, honey." Marie said. Stein went to retort but Stitches lifted her head slightly, a little smile on her face.

"What are you smirking about?" Marie asked. Stitches simply giggled.

"Papa's funny when he's drunk." Stitches said. Both Stein and Azusa raised an eyebrow.

"How do you know?" Azusa asked. Stein shot a glare at Azusa.

"Well, I've only seen it once, but Papa and Uncle Spirit got up in front of everyone and started singing…" Stitches began before Stein clasped his hand over her mouth.

"I think that's quite enough of that story." Stein said. Stitches giggled slightly, along with Marie.

* * *

><p>"So, do you feel better about your glasses now, baby?" Marie asked Stitches. She nodded.<p>

"Yes. Thanks, Mama." she smiled.

"And do you feel better knowing that I now know never to let you tell stories?" Stein asked. Stitches laughed slightly.

"But it was fun-_Ah!_' Stitches screamed, literally jumping on Stein. Stein raised an eyebrow and hoisted Stitches further up as she buried her head into his neck.

"What is she-_Ah!_" Marie said, jumping behind Stein.

"What the _hell_ are you…Oh." Stein said.

You see, there were many things that Stitches had inherited from Marie. Her golden eyes, her height - and her perpetual fear of spiders.

And in the middle of the floor, there was an eight-legged, eight-eyed, brown little fuzzy creature.

"You're not going to come any further in the house unless I catch it, are you?" Stein asked. Marie and Stitches shook their heads. Stein sighed and put Stitches down. Marie and Stitches ran to the other side of the door and watched as Stein trapped the arachnid under a glass. He slid a piece of paper underneath the glass and went to walk towards the door.

"Wait!" Marie exclaimed. She took Stitches' hand and they both ran past Stein, taking refuge on the other side of the couch. Stein released the spider far from the laboratory door and walked back in, an empty glass and piece of paper with him.

He saw two sets of identically-coloured eyes poke out from behind the back of the couch.

"You two are such girls." Stein shook his head. Stitches and Marie both gave Stein a warranted 'What-the-hell?' look. He then thought about what he said. Marie sighed and walked over to him.

"Alright, that was a _dumb_ comment, but still." Stein said. Marie kissed Stein on the cheek.

"My hero." she said, exaggeratedly.

"I try." Stein said, kissing Marie gently on the lips.

"Aww." Stitches smiled.

**A/N: Aww. Remember when you ****didn't**** think that your parents' displays of affection were gross?**

**No, neither do I.**


	25. Hey Again, Shibusen!

**A/N: I really don't need an A/N for this chapter. Oh well.  
>Herp derp.<strong>

* * *

><p><em>~Stitches – 11 years, 1 month~<em>

_Tomorrow, Stitches, Stein and I are going on a tour at Shibusen. Seeing as the last time Stitches went to Shibusen was when she was four and thought she owned the place, she'd best go back._

_On another note, Junior turned one the other week. He's so cute! He's a little mama's boy; he's glued to Maka most of the time. He looks like Kid, though. He's even got the Lines of Sanzu, though Maka usually dresses him in hats so Kid doesn't freak out._

_Adorable little shinigami babies._

_Don't mind me._

_Anyway, yes, Stitches, my __own_ _daughter, who's still adorable even though she's not a baby anymore. We're going on a tour which is usually taken a year before you attend Shibusen. However, because Stitches is in the advanced class at grade school, she's allowed to come on this tour a year early. _

_And, we can't tell Stitches, but we found out that her best friend, Mina, has been given a place at Shibusen._

_In the E.A.T class. As a meister._

_Stitches is gonna go __nuts__._

_Marie x_

* * *

><p>"Alright, is everyone here? Are we ready for the tour?" Shinigami-sama asked. Just then, a little red-headed girl and her father walked up at the back of the group. The redheaded girl tugged at the back of Stitches' jacket.<p>

"Wha-_Mina?_" Stitches exclaimed, throwing her arms around her friend.

"Hi!" she exclaimed.

"Wha-Why are you here?" Stitches asked. Mina replied, a wide smile on her face. She dug around in her skirt pocket and pulled out a small badge that simply read _meister._

"It's just a pretend one that Shinigami-sama gave to show me, but… I got accepted into the E.A.T class. In two years." Mina smiled. Stitches' eyes widened.

"That means…" she gasped.

"We're coming here together!" Mina exclaimed. The girls hugged again before Shinigami-sama called all the future Shibusen students to the front of the group. Stitches' face dropped, but Mina dragged her through the crowd of people anyway.

"Why are you scared? Haven't you known Shinigami-sama since you were, like, a baby?" Mina asked.

"It's not him I'm worried about. It's _everybody._" Stitches confessed. Mina sighed and let go of her hand. Shinigami-sama looked down at all the students.

"Hiya, hiya, hiya!" he waved. The students all waved back.

"So, you know who I am. I know some of you quite well, some of you are children of former students, even current faculty members," Shinigami-sama began, Stitches looking backwards at her parents, "some of you I've met briefly, and some of you I'm meeting for the first time."

"All in all, you have at least one thing in common; you are the next generations of E.A.T students. Now, who knows what E.A.T stands for?" Shinigami-sama asked. The group mumbled to each other. Stitches whispered in Mina's ear.

"_Especially Advanced Talent._" she said. Mina sighed. She stuck her hand in the air.

"Ah, yes. The cute redhead in the front." Shinigami-sama said.

"The name's Mina, sir. I'm Albert-kun's daughter." she smiled.

"Oh, of course! Mina-chan!" Shinigami-sama said.

"Yes. E.A.T stands for Especially Advanced Talent. Though, Stitches here knew that, not me." Mina said. Stitches gasped at her friend's betrayal.

"Ah, Stitches-chan. I thought you'd know this. But, Mina-chan, well done for saying it. High five!" Shinigami-sama said. Mina and Stitches looked at each other, trying to process the shinigami's attempts at being cool. However, it wasn't every day you got to give a Death God a high five. They both slapped their hands against one of Shinigami-sama's oversized palms.

"Alright. Now, we're going to move along to Class Crescent Moon, the typical habitat of all of our E.A.T students." Shinigami-sama said, proceeding to hop down the corridor. The group followed, the students slowly making their way back to their parents. Mina walked with her father, Albert West. He worked around Shibusen, but nobody knew _exactly_ what he did.

"You know, Shinigami-sama won't take your shyness." Stein said, wandering alongside his daughter.

"What?" Stitches asked.

"He did the same thing to me when I was here. At least your partner doesn't look stupid. Mine did. Shinigami-sama never believed when he called answers out in class." Stein said. Stitches sighed.

"People just scare me." Stitches said. Stein sighed.

"I remember your first day of school. You ran over to Mina and you became friends instantly. What happened?" Stein asked. Stitches sniffed.

"Aaron happened." Stitches said, ashamedly. Stein grit his teeth and pulled Stitches gently to the back of the pack. Marie hung back as well, just to watch on. Stitches leant against the wall and Stein knelt in front of her.

"He's gone now. And he's not going to bother you. And, I don't know about you, but I'd like to see the Stitches who walked around here like she owned the place back." Stein said. Stitches' eyes widened slightly.

"Oh, Papa." Stitches threw her arms around Stein. Stein hugged her back tightly, placing a kiss in her hair.

"So, next time you know the answer to something, what are you going to do?" Stein asked.

"I'm going to say it. Myself." Stitches smiled.

"Right. You'd better go, Stitches." Stein said. The girl smiled and ran off to the rest of the tour group. Stein turned around and shoved his hands in his pockets. Marie walked up to him and wrapped her arm around his waist.

"You're sneaky." Marie looked up at the silver-haired scientist and he raised an eyebrow.

"How so?" Stein asked. Marie crossed her arms.

"You wander around playing the ambivalent apathy card and then you go and do _that._" Marie smiled. Stein sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Only taken eleven years to work out the whole father thing." Stein remarked. Marie smiled and shook her head.

"Come on." Marie said, walking down to Class Crescent Moon, and as the couple walked in they were hit by a wall of parents.

"_What's the curriculum like he-"_

"_How do the students get t-"_

"_If my child is feeling left out, wh-"_

Stein shot a glare at Shinigami-sama.

"What the-" Stein began. Shinigami-sama threw his hand out.

"These are the current teachers of the E.A.T class, Doctor Franken Stein and Marie Mjolnir. Feel free to ask them _any and all_ of your questions." Shinigami-sama chuckled. Stein and Marie turned to Shinigami-sama, a completely dumbfounded look on their faces.

"Sorry." Shinigami-sama said, backing off. Stein and Marie turned back to the group of parents. Stein stood there, silently. Marie sighed and stepped forward.

"So, who's first?"

"Do you think she had a good time?" Marie asked, tying her hair up before getting into bed next to Stein.

"I think so. Once I had a chat with her, she seemed fine." Stein said, pulling Marie over to lean on his chest.

"That was amazing; what you did for her." Marie said, seriously. Stein looked down at Marie.

"It was nothing. Not compared to half the things you've done for me. Not to mention our daughter." Stein said. Marie glared.

"I haven't done anything!" Marie said, modestly.

"So, giving birth wasn't anything? The way you managed to calm her down when she found out she was a weapon wasn't anything?" Stein asked. Marie huffed.

"Honey, I love you, but just take the damn compliment." Marie said.

"Fine." Stein said.

"It'll be a lot less painful that way." Marie remarked. Stein raised an eyebrow.

"Are you _threatening_ me?" Stein asked, jokingly. Marie gasped.

"_No!_" she said, turning over to face the silver-haired scientist.

"I think you are. I _feel_ threatened." Stein said. Marie tilted her head to the side.

"You're a terrible liar." Marie said.

"Me? A liar? _No_." Stein smirked.

"You… you're not nice!" Marie said, turning over and pulling the covers over her entire body. Stein chuckled slightly and turned over, grabbing Marie by the waist.

"Don't touch me." Marie said, crossing her arms. Stein grinned sadistically.

"Oh, come on. Twenty seconds ago, you were complimenting me." he smirked.

"Yes, well, that was twenty seconds ago." Marie huffed. Stein sighed, propping himself up on his elbow and glancing down at Marie. Tentatively, slowly, she turned around.

"You're still there." Marie said. Stein raised an eyebrow.

"Did you _expect_ me to leave?" Stein asked. Marie sighed.

"I…Uh…Well…?" Marie began. Stein sighed and kissed the woman on the forehead.

"Goodnight, Marie." Stein grinned. Marie sighed.

Stein had a brilliant talent; he could completely infuriate and confuse Marie yet she could still find him insanely attractive at the same time. She sighed and caved in, nuzzling into Stein's side.

"I thought you said-" Stein began.

"Shut up. Don't say a word." Marie smiled, shutting her eyes. Stein smirked and wrapped his arms around Marie's small frame. Marie sighed contently, sliding her hand past Stein's shoulder and threading her fingers through his hair.

"I do love you." Marie whispered.

"I know. I love you too." Stein replied. Even after over a decade, the two still held the same feelings for each other; the respect, the admiration, the passion. Marie smiled slightly and sighed.

He placed a kiss in her hair before closing his own eyes in slumber.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, I put that little bit at the end of this chapter as the last few chapters have been quite Stitches-centric, not to mention that the next chapter is pretty much completely Stitches-centric.**

**AND, LOOKY THERE. A CHAPTER WHICH ENDS WITH MARIE AND STEIN IN BED ****NOT HAVING SEX.**** Aren't you proud? :D**


	26. Big, Wide World

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to my year seven class, who never got to go on camp -_- We were not amoosed.**

* * *

><p><em>~Stitches – 11 years, 7 months~<em>

_So, tomorrow morning, Stitches leaves for camp in the Death City forest._

_She's sharing a tent with Mina, which is reassuring. I gave her some insect spray, but I told her not to tell Stein because he doesn't let me use insect spray anymore. _

_It probably has something to do with that spider I killed with half a can of spray before Stitches was born._

_Stein's worried about her going. I've told Stitches it's just because he loves her very much, and doesn't want to see her get hurt._

_On the plus side, Stein and I have the whole laboratory to ourselves this weekend._

_I'm not going to lie; I'm upset about Stitches going. But I'm also not going to lie about the fact that I'm extremely excited that Stein and I have a weekend to ourselves._

_It's been a while._

…_Did I just write that?_

_Marie x_

* * *

><p>"Come on, Stitches." Mina said. Stitches sighed as she ran towards Mina, her backpack weighing her down.<p>

"When are we going to be at the campsite?" Stitches asked, trying to stay away from direct afternoon sunlight.

"We'll be there in a minute. What are you doing?" Mina asked, looking at Stitches who was currently hiding behind her.

"I don't want to get sunburnt." Stitches whispered. Mina sighed and pushed her friend in front of her.

"Come on, Stitches! Get out, enjoy life! The sun, the fresh air…" Mina began.

"The bugs, the snakes, the spiders, the airborne germs…" Stitches said. Mina crossed her arms.

"Stitches, look. We're here now. You'll be fine." Mina said. The girls stood in their class group while their teacher, Mr Carter, the weapons specialist, stood out the front of the group.

"Alright, class! In your pairs, I need you to set up your tents. You've got half an hour, go!" Mr Carter said.

Mr Carter scared most of the students at Stitches' grade school. He was a tall, well-built man, with light brown hair. He was only about thirty, but he was still rather intimidating. He always referred to everyone by their last names, which, for one, annoyed Stitches.

Thanks to him, _everyone _knew that she was the daughter of the strongest meister ever to graduate from Shibusen who may or may not be subject to bouts of madness from time to time.

Mina and Stitches walked over to a spot near a tree. Mina dumped the contents of the tent bag on the ground and stood before it, triumphantly.

"Well. That's a good start." Stitches mumbled, sarcastically. Mina poked her tongue out at Stitches.

"Are there any instructions?" Mina asked, looking through the pipes and cloth tent pieces for something.

"I'm not sure." Stitches asked, scratching her head.

"Well, let's try this." Mina said, picking up two poles and clicking them together. Stitches nodded. She picked up another set of poles and snapped them together.

Unfortunately, 15 minutes later, the girls were in a worse off position that they started with.

"Stitches… I think you need to ask Mr Carter for help." Mina said.

"Me? Why me?" Stitches asked.

"Because _you're _the most talented weapon in the class, and _he's_ the weapons specialist. So _go._" Mina said, shoving Stitches in front of their teacher.

"Mina!" Stitches exclaimed. Mr Carter turned around to face Stitches.

"Stein. What do you want?" Mr Carter asked. Stitches gasped slightly.

"_Wedon'tknowhowtoputupourtent_." Stitches squeaked, pushing her glasses up over the bridge of her nose. Mr Carter sighed. Stitches recoiled in wait. Mr Carter simply ruffled her hair.

"You can just _ask_. Stein, you're eleven years old. I don't _expect_ you to be able to put up a tent by yourself. Come on, I'll help you." Mr Carter said, turning Stitches around and walking over to the poles and canvas that was _supposed_ to be a tent.

* * *

><p>The girls eventually got the tent up, and after a fine meal of instant noodles, they got into their tent. They talked for a while, before Mina could keep her eyes open no longer. As Mina fell asleep, along with all of the students bar Stitches, the silver-haired weapon heard some chattering.<p>

"… I'm fine, Clara, really. What about you? I've left you at home and you're due any day. How is my little daughter in there, anyway? Yeah? I know. I miss you too." the voice said. Stitches gently unzipped the tent and peeked through the gap. Mr Carter was sitting on one of the log benches, his mobile phone pressed to his ear.

"Okay." he said, before pausing. A wide smile than broke out across his face, an expression Stitches had never seen on her teacher's face before.

"Hey there, buddy. Shouldn't you be in bed?" Mr Carter asked. He then laughed in response to the answer, causing Stitches to gasp. She froze when she saw Mr Carter acknowledge her presence.

"Alright, bud. I'll see you when I get back, okay? Give the phone back to Mama." Mr Carter said. Stitches found she could not look away, Mr Carter continuing to glance back at her every so often.

"Alright, Clara, I've got to go. I love you too. And baby. Alright. Bye, babe." he said, closing the phone and walking over to Stitches' tent. He knelt down, his eyebrow raised.

"Stein?" he asked. Stitches' eyes widened.

"Uh, I… I didn't mean to listen to your conversation, sir, I just… I've never been away from my family before, and I-" Stitches was cut off when Mr Carter smiled.

"Neither have I, Stein." Mr Carter admitted. Stitches raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" Stitches asked. Mr Carter nodded.

"I've not been away from my wife since our little boy was born, no. So, it's been nearly four years. And I should really be there, because she's pregnant. But, she insisted I come. So, here we are." Mr Carter elaborated. Stitches looked at her teacher quizzically, causing him to laugh in response.

"Yes, someone married me and wanted to have kids with me. I know, it's weird." Mr Carter smiled. Stitches shook her head.

"I don't think so. My parents made me come too. I… I haven't been away from them… ever." Stitches said, shyly. Mr Carter gave a small, reassuring smile.

"You'll be fine, Stein. If your parents have taught you anything, it's resilience." Mr Carter said.

"Thanks." Stitches gave a shy smile.

"Alright, I'd better get some rest. You'd better do the same, Stein." Mr Carter said. Stitches nodded and zipped her tent back up. She slid back into her sleeping bag and gave a small smile.

"_Maybe Mr Carter isn't so scary after all,"_ Stitches thought.

* * *

><p>Halfway through the night, Stitches awoke once more. She heard the bucket the class had put the fire out with knock over. She bolted up and rocked Mina awake.<p>

"Mina… Mina!" she said, in a whisper.

"Go away. Sleepy times." she grunted.

"I think there's a creature outside!" Stitches said, drawing what was, of course, the most logical conclusion. Not someone going to the bathroom, not leaves brushing against the tent; no. A creature.

"_A creature?_" Mina yelled at the top of her lungs. Lanterns in all the tents began to turn on, and yells began to ring out form most of them. All of the students bundled out of their tents, some screaming, others praying, others calling for their mothers. Eventually, Mr Carter awoke.

"What on _Earth_ is going on, here?" he yelled. Just then, a group of nearly thirty voices yelled out.

"_The creature!_" they yelled.

"Look! The bucket… it's moving!" a student yelled.

"_The creature is in there!_" a girl squealed. Mr Carter sighed. He picked up the bucket and overturned it before the 'creature' could escape. He looked in the bucket and smirked slightly, making sure he didn't let the students see.

"Behold your creature." he said, cupping a tiny, baby hedgehog in his hands. The group all gasped and 'aww'ed.

"Alright, I'm going to go and release the 'creature.' You all get back to bed, quick smart." Mr Carter said. And, as with any of Mr Carter's instructions, they followed them swiftly and completely.

* * *

><p>The morning after, Mr Carter made all of the pairs of students connect with another pair of students to work with.<p>

"Alright, West, Stein? You go with Martin and Cameron." Mr Carter said. The girls nodded and awkwardly made their way over to the two boys. Mina knew who Joseph Martin was.

"Hey, Mina." Joseph smirked, his black hair pushed back. Mina smiled slightly.

"Hey, Joseph." she replied. While those two talked, Stitches turned to the boy she knew only as 'Cameron.' He looked shy, like she was. And, they were by themselves, so Stitches wasn't quite as apprehensive as she usually would be.

"W-What's your name?" she asked, her nervous stutter making an unwanted show.

"I'm T-Thomas." he stuttered back.

"Hi, Thomas. I'm Stitches Stein." she replied, smiling slightly. The boy's wide, green eyes peered through his blonde tresses.

"Hi, Stitches." he said back, nervously. She wasn't sure if it was just because she was a girl or if he was just like this, but he seemed painfully shy.

A bit like her, really.

"Alright! In your new groups, I want one person from each of the pairs to partner up with someone from the other pair." Mr Carter said. Mina looked over at Stitches.

"You go with Joseph. I'll stay with Thomas." Stitches said. Mina nodded and turned back to Joseph.

"You're gonna stay with me?" Thomas asked. Stitches giggled slightly.

"Yeah. You seem cool." Stitches smiled. Thomas bolted his head up.

"Cool? I-I'm not cool, trust me." he said. Stitches raised an eyebrow, but brushed it off.

"Come on. Let's go." Stitches said, walking off.

"H-Hey! Wait up!" Thomas yelled, running after her. He caught up to her and she smiled.

"So, you going to Shibusen in a couple of years?" Stitches asked. Thomas nodded.

"Yeah. I'm a meister." Thomas murmured. Stitches smiled.

"My papa's a meister. But you probably know that… Why are you in the advanced class?" Stitches asked.

"Oh, me? W-Well, I can't be affected by madness. I think. But I hope I won't need to use my ability much. W-What about you?" Thomas asked. Stitches smiled and raised her arm. In a flash of blue light, her arm transformed into a hammer.

"Whoa, that's cool. Not many people are hammers. In fact, I've never _heard_ of anyone being a hammer, other than Marie Mjolnir, of course. She's a Deathscythe." Thomas said, matter-of-factly. Thomas loved to learn, to research. He loved facts, they kept him sane. Stitches smiled and nodded.

"I know. She's kind of my mother." she said. Thomas was taken aback.

"Whoa! Your mother's a Deathscythe! Now _that's_ cool." Thomas said. Stitches blushed slightly.

"It's nice not to have someone who backs away when they know about my parents." she said, quietly.

"I like hearing about your parents. I… I don't have parents. Well, I mean, I obviously _had_ parents, but… it's a long story." Thomas sighed, slightly.

"Oh… okay." Stitches said.

"Yeah." Thomas looked down. Stitches pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose and sighed.

"Anyway, my mama will be happy that you think _she's _my most interesting parent. Usually, people see my last name and just reckon I'm going to go mad or dissect them." Stitches said. Thomas smiled.

"I don't think you're going to go mad. Or dissect me." Thomas smiled, his white teeth bared. His blonde hair fell in straight strands across his face. His green eyes peeked out of his fringe and she gave a nervous smile back.

She wasn't reluctant because she didn't think he was nice, no; it was more the fact that she didn't know how to react to someone who didn't see her as a threat. The last time that had happened was when she was five with Mina.

"Uh… um… thanks." she smiled, trying to look away. Thomas raised an eyebrow.

"If you don't want to be my partner, it's okay. Most people don't anyway. I'm used to it." Thomas said, slightly too happily. Stitches turned around to see a smile on his face.

Nobody should be so used to rejection that they were _comforted_ by it. Stitches shook her head.

"No. I want to be partners with you. It's okay." Stitches said, throwing her arms around the blonde boy. Thomas didn't know what to do, so he just wrapped his arms around her as well.

It took Stitches a little while to realise that she was hugging a boy. However, she didn't really care. She felt a need to take care of Thomas, to make sure he was safe. She wasn't sure why, she just did.

She was sure of one thing though.

If boy germs were real, then she was going to get _so_ sick.

**A/N: Stitches is going to get sick. Because, as we all know, boy germs are real.  
>Just a little thing, partners for this activity have <strong>_**no effect**_** on who Stitches is going to choose as her meister.**

**Okay, so, seeing as we're close to beginning the third story, which is going to have several OC's in it, I've decided that I'm going to fill you in a bit more about our four main OC's – Stitches, Mina, Thomas and Joseph. I've decided to do that through a series of four first-person bios – and we're going to start with Thomas. **

* * *

><p><em>M-Me? Oh, why me? Are you sure you don't want to… no, you're sure you want to start with me. O-Okay then…<em>

_Hi, then. I'm Thomas. Thomas Cameron. _

_I'm eleven, but I turn twelve soon. My birthday is the 12__th__ of November, which is pretty cool, I guess. Uh… well, my hair is blonde – really light blonde, and my eyes are dark green. My teacher says that they're like emeralds, so that's something. Um, well, my parents… I don't know who my parents are. I'm adopted, and Ms Martha is like my mama. She's really, really nice and I love her very much._

_My best friend is Joseph Martin. He's a year older than I am, so he's nearly a teenager. He calls me Tom, which kinda annoys me sometimes, but he tells me that girls like that name for some reason. Apparently. Something about Norse gods. I don't know. But, anyway, we're going to Shibusen hopefully, and he's a weapon and I'm a meister. He's cool, and for a while he was my only friend. But, I went on camp and I met Mina and Stitches. They're very nice too, especially Stitches… but her dad scares me a little bit._

_Don't tell her I said that._

_Okay, I have to go now. Thanks for listening to me… random stranger,_

_Thomas._


	27. Gang's All Here

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Mary Moo Cow.  
>I do not own Mary Moo Cow.<strong>

**Okay, so, here we're going to clear up some Crona storyline because I've had a couple of questions about hir. The gender-specific pronoun that will be used is 'she.' Okay? Good :D**

* * *

><p><em>~Stitches – 12 years, 4 months~<em>

_Okay, this isn't funny._

_Not funny._

_It's almost been __ten years.__ Ten years since the E.A.T class of Maka, Soul and the rest of the gang all graduated. _

_I feel faint._

_Technically, it's only been nine years and four months. But, in about a week and a half, a major mission is leaving with a good deal of the kids from that E.A.T class on it._

_Oh, what am I kidding. They're not kids anymore, are they?_

_But, long story short, a good deal of the ex-students will be away for the actual anniversary. So, we're having it tomorrow. Stein, Sid, Stitches and I are going to be there, along with the ex-students, their families and probably some other teachers._

_Just tell me where the time went._

_Marie x_

* * *

><p>"And who are they?" Stitches asked, pointing to a pink-hired girl and her bespectacled partner.<p>

"Well, that's Kim and Ox." Marie said, sitting next to her daughter.

"And the other two?" Marie asked. Marie looked over, and it was unmistakable – A pair of black-haired, emerald-eyed girls, who looked about six or seven.

"Those would be their children… Oh, Death, they've had _children."_ Marie's head fell into her hands and Stitches bit her lip.

"You okay, Mama?" Stitches asked. Marie nodded.

"Yeah. I'm fine, baby. Do you want to go over and see Junior?" Marie asked. Stitches nodded and jumped off of her seat, walking to the place she knew Junior would be.

Meanwhile, Marie felt a strong hand grip her shoulder and she looked up.

"Are you alright?" Stein asked. Marie shrugged.

"I guess so. Ten years, Stein. Where did it go?" Marie asked. Stein pushed his glasses up over his nose and shrugged as well.

"Beats me." Stein said. Marie stood up to face him, but when a tiny smirk appeared on his face, she got worried.

"Stein…" she warned.

"What?" he asked, the smirk not disappearing. Marie crossed her arms, but before Stein could respond, a small voice came from behind her.

"M-M-M-Marie-s-sen-sen…"

"You stupid little runt! Spit it out!"

Marie's eye widened and she turned on her heel. She blinked and focused on the purple haired meister in front of her, the familiar black silhouette popping out of her back.

"Crona!" Marie virtually leapt forward and enveloped Crona in a hug. After a minute of fretting, Crona hugged her former teacher back. Tears fell from Marie's eyes – she hadn't seen Crona for far too long.

"Crona, I didn't know you were back! Last I heard you were in Eastern Europe." Marie said, wiping at her uncovered eye.

"I-I have been there. B-But I came back f-for the r-reunion." Crona gave a small smile, and Marie gave a wide smiled before her eyes widened.

"You haven't met Stitches, have you?" Marie asked. Crona rubbed at her arm and shook her head.

"I-I've seen p-pictures, Marie-sensei." Crona smiled. Marie smiled and looked back at Stein.

"I'll get her." Stein said, walking away from the two. Marie smiled further and put her hand gently on Crona's shoulder.

"I can't believe I haven't seen you for so long." Marie said. Crona turned around and her eyes flicked over the crowd.

"I-I've hardly s-seen anybody… H-How is Maka? I-I'm still u-upset that I missed h-her wedding to K-Kid." Crona stated.

"Maka and Kid are great. They had a baby boy a couple of years ago – he's here today, I think." Marie smiled. The light that Crona's eyes gained did not go unnoticed by Marie.

"Really?" Crona asked. Marie smiled and nodded when she noticed two silver-haired people in her peripheral vision.

"Ah! Stitches, baby… This is Crona Gorgon." Marie said. Stitches looked at her mother, trying to hide her widening eyes from the purple-haired woman… man… uh… _Gorgon. _Marie simply nodded – Stitches knew the last name Gorgon, and she'd heard about Medusa's child.

"Crona, this is Shelley." Marie smiled. Stitches crossed her arms.

"_Stitches._" she clarified. Marie smiled and stepped out of the way, allowing Stitches to step forward and give a shy smile to the vaguely familiar looking person before her.

"Hi." she murmured.

"Hello." Crona replied, and she was thankful she didn't stutter. And, at that very moment, Crona felt a tap on her shoulder. When she turned around, she saw a sandy-blonde woman with tears in her eyes.

"_Maka." _Crona said in barely a whisper. Maka wrapped her arms around Crona and Crona returned the embrace. Kid, who was holding Junior, noticed his rising agitation.

"Mama… _Mama… Mama!_"

Maka turned around to see the pouting little boy, opening and closing his fists impatiently. She gave a breathy laugh and took the boy out of Kid's arms.

"This is Junior." Maka turned back to Crona, but Junior simply frowned and wrapped his arms around Maka's neck.

"My mama." he said, his voice sharp. Crona gave a small smile and shook her head.

"I'm going to hate to leave this." Crona said. She did not stutter, because the statement was filled with sincerity. Marie looked at Crona and frowned.

"Do you really have to go back?" Marie asked Crona nodded.

"I-I'm stationed t-there, Marie-sensei." Crona said. Marie sighed and tapped her cheeks with her palms twice.

"Well, then," Marie exhaled, "we'd best make the most of it, yes?"

* * *

><p>"Why did they all <em>know <em>me?" Stitches flopped down onto the couch in the laboratory, having finally arrived home after the reunion. Marie had cried, _a lot,_ so they had stayed slightly longer than first expected.

"Why? Because your mother showed _everyone _photographs of you, Stitches." Stein replied. Marie crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at Stein.

"Oh, yeah, because I'm the one who just casually had to pull out their wallet every five seconds which just _happened_ to have a picture of my daughter in it." Marie snapped.

"Ouch. You get snippy after you've cried." Stein said with a smirk. Marie sat down and sighed.

"I just… It's been so long since I've seen some of them… It's just so lax of me." Marie said, shifting uncomfortably. Stein walked over and sat down next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. Stitches leapt from her seat and shuddered.

"Oh, would you look at the time, better go to bed." Stitches said, swiftly.

"It's only eight. On a _Saturday._" Marie clarified. Stitches crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah, and you're already getting cuddly. It's _gross._" Stitches said. Stein raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips, turning his head towards Marie's.

"Don't-"

Stein moved his lips closer to Marie.

"Papa, don't even-"

When Stein kissed Marie on the forehead, Stitches threw her hands up and sighed.

"I'm disowning you guys." Stitches said with a tiny laugh. Stein sighed as he watched his daughter shut her door before looking back at Marie.

"Half of them are married, then some of them have _kids_." Marie sighed. Stein wrapped his arm around Marie's shoulder and sighed.

"Look, when you're feeling old," he began, readjusting himself, "just remember that Spirit is older than us. He's already forty." Stein remarked.

"Yes, you spritely thirty-nine year old. _I'm_ only thirty-eight." Marie said, self-satisfactorily.

"You're a regular spring chicken, Mjolnir." Stein replied. Marie gave a tiny laugh and smiled widely.

"Can I come out now – is it safe?" Stitches' muffled voice was heard through the door. Stein raised an eyebrow and a quizzical look covered his features.

"No, we're having sex." he called back, sarcasm lacing his voice. Stitches' door opened slightly and a pillow came flying out before she did. It hit Stein in the chest, and he looked at Marie.

"Should be a meister." he remarked. Marie shot him a discerning look before noticing Stitches walking out of her room, hands covering her eyes.

"Honey, we're not-"

"I don't trust you guys. Not one bit." Stitches continued to walk, but walked into the coffee table with a loud bang, beginning to trip over.

"Son of a – _Aah!_" When Stitches didn't wall face first into the table but felt the collar of her t-shirt pulling tight around her neck, she opened her eyes nervously, glancing to the side and seeing her father, one eyebrow raised and his hand grasping the back of her shirt. She righted herself and cleared her throat.

"No, she shouldn't be a meister. Her coordination skills rival yours, Marie." Stein said. Stitches crossed her arms.

"Hey. You're my father – you're supposed to be all, 'Reach for the stars, Stitches! Do your best! You're great at everything!' Do that, Papa." she said.

"I can't. It's against my moral code." Stein crossed his arms. Stitches walked over to Stein and sat next to him, smirking and shaking her head as he rested his arm around her shoulder.

"_Moral code_," Stitches smirked, "yeah, that's a good one."

"Hey. I have a moral code," Stein said, "Rule one – hurt my partner and I'll kill you. Rule two – hurt my daughter and I'll kill you. Rule three – don't lead my clumsy daughter to believe she's coordinated." Stitches raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah? You wanna hear my moral code?" Stitches asked.

"Go on." Stein replied.

"… You smell." Stitches said. Stein couldn't help but laugh and Stitches crossed her arms.

"Oh, that hurt." Stein said, melodramatically. Stitches couldn't help but smirk as well.

"Yeah? Got you right in the feels? I'm glad." she laughed. Marie rolled her eyes and leant forward.

"I run a mad house. I really do." Marie said. Stein looked back at Marie and raised an eyebrow.

"_Mad_ house?" Stein asked. Marie's eyes widened and she shook her head.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Marie exclaimed. Stein smirked and watched as Marie exasperatedly leant against him.

_Yeah, sure, we're mad, _Stitches thought, _but I couldn't do it any other way._

**A/N: Aww. My favourite crazy family :)**

**So, as promised, the next bio. I think Mina next, yes?**

_Finally! Getting to the good stuff!_

_Right, I'm Mina. Mina West. I'm thirteen, just turned it last month. My birthday is the 8__th__ of May, and for my birthday, I had a super-awesome-coolio-grownup boys and girls party. It was a-MAY-zing. Get it? Because my birthday's in M... Never mind. Right, let's get this over with… I've got red hair. Okay? So did my mama! Deal with it! And my eyes are really, really blue. I live with my papa, Albert. My mama died, which is really sad, but I don't remember her much._

_Okay! Right! My best friend? Stitches Stein is my best friend forever-and-ever-and-ever. She's amazing and we've been friends since we started grade school. She's a super-genius weapon who's going to team up with me, a super-awesome meister, when we got to Shibusen. She'll be a Deathscythe by the second week, I reckon. Then there are a couple of other good friends, Joseph and Thomas, but I'm pretty much friends with most people in my class._

_So, pretty much, I'm the most awesome thirteen-year-old in the whole of Death City. And I'm going to go to Shibusen and be the best meister ever, even better than Dr. Stein, who, oh, y'know, happens to be my best friend's __**dad.**__ Did I forget to mention? Whoops. But, unfortunately, the Doc's gonna have to settle with being the second-best meister to ever come out of Shibusen. 'Cause I'm coming. Sorry, Doc :P_

_Mina xoxo_


	28. Stitches' Big Day

**A/N: So, here we are. Only three more chapters until we come to the end of another story. I know that it can be hard to bring O/C's into beloved fandoms, but I hope you've grown to love reading about Stitches like I've grown to love writing her.  
>This chapter is dedicated to all of you, readers.<strong>

* * *

><p><em>~Stitches – 12 years, 9 months~<em>

_My gorgeous little baby girl is finishing grade school._

_I'm so proud of her, and I know Stein is as well. You should see him, going around and bragging about her. Spirit maintains that Maka was __just__ as good as Stitches is, but, you know. I'm not going to say anything._

_Anyway, aside from Stein and Spirit's little feud, Stitches. _

_She's really excited about graduating. Most of her class is going to Shibusen. She's especially glad that Mina is coming with her. And then, there's this little boy called Thomas._

_He's very cute._

_Can I say that? Of course I can. But he is very nice. _

_Stitches is really looking forward to Shibusen. Stein and I aren't teaching the E.A.T class next year; Maka is._

_We've not told Stitches though. She does know that we're not teaching her, though. She tried to look disappointed. But, then again, if I was a nearly thirteen year old girl then I'd probably not want my parents teaching me, either._

_Alright, I'd better go._

_Marie x_

* * *

><p>"So, you've officially graduated, hey?" Stein asked his daughter. Stitches nodded.<p>

"And Shibusen awaits." she smiled. Marie knelt down and straightened the dress she had managed to get Stitches in.

"Mama… Mama, my dress is okay." Stitches smiled. Marie looked at her daughter.

"Oh, I'm so proud of you!" Marie said, hugging her daughter tightly.

"Mama…Mama, really, it's just grade school. It's nothing." Stitches said, stepping back.

"You're top of the class, Stitches. That's not nothing." Marie said. Stitches blushed slightly.

"Yes it is. I didn't do anything special." Stitches said, looking away slightly.

"Go off with your friends. I can see you're _dying_ to." Marie smiled. Stitches nodded and ran over to Mina, Joseph and Thomas.

"We're graduated." she smiled. Thomas turned to her.

"Y-Yeah, we are." Thomas replied. Mina turned to Stitches.

"And then, next year, we're at Shibusen! Where we get to fight, and learn how to see souls, and use wavelengths, and… stuff!" Mina said, smiling widely. Mina couldn't wait to get to Shibusen. She was older than Stitches, and was a lot less socially awkward.

"Who's going to be your weapon, Thomas?" Stitches asked. Thomas looked up.

"Oh, I don't know. It depends on whose soul matches mine, I suppose." Thomas said. Stitches nodded.

"I'm glad you're coming to Shibusen with us, Thomas. You too, Joseph." Stitches said, smiling widely at her friends.

"And I'm glad to be going with you lovely ladies," Joseph smirked widely, "oh, and you too, Tom." Thomas frowned and crossed his arms.

"Thomas." he warned.

"Whatever, whatever. Tom, Thomas, Blondie - you're going to get it all." Jospeh smirked. Thomas rolled his eyes just as the childrens' teacher, Miss Natalie, called everyone to a large group at the front of the room. Stitches looked at her parents and motioned for them to come over with her. Marie and Stein walked over to their daughter, hanging around at the back of the group so they didn't obstruct any of the kids' views.

"So, my darling class of little geniuses, you've all graduated." Miss Natalie said. The class all whooped and cheered. Miss Natalie smiled.

"So, I just want to thank you all for a fantastic year. And, I'm sure that all of the teachers that you've had over the years would say the same thing." Miss Natalie said.

"So, for a lot of you, a journey to Shibusen comes next. To those who aren't going to Shibusen, make sure that you keep going on whatever path you wish to. Goodbye and good luck!" Miss Natalie said. The whole group applauded and slowly began to make their way out of the room. Stitches walked back to her parents and smiled. Stein looked down at Stitches.

"I'm proud of you." Stein said. Marie smiled and Stitches hugged her father.

"Thank you, Papa. I love you." she replied.

* * *

><p>The morning after Stitches' graduation, she awoke to Marie handing her an envelope.<p>

"Mama? What's this?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"I think you should look." Marie smiled. Stitches sat up in her bed, taking the envelope out of her mother's hands and pushing her glasses on.

"Death Weapon Meister Academy." Stitches read out aloud. She smiled widely as she opened the envelope. Out dropped a little badge that simply read 'weapon.'

"Read the letter." Marie said, sitting next to her daughter. She pulled out a letter with a shinigami skull up the top.

"Dear Miss Stein," she read, quietly. The rest of the letter she read in her head.

_Shelley Yumi Stein  
>Patchwork Laboratory<br>27 Scytheblade Crescent  
>Outer Death City<em>

_Dear Miss Stein, _

_We are incredibly glad to have you in our E.A.T class for the next school year._

_As a weapon, we understand that you are different to a meister; your genetic material has been made up this way. You'll be given special lessons according to your weapon status, as will the meisters._

_The E.A.T class is the advanced class at Shibusen, only for the most academically and technically brilliant students. We wish to congratulate you on your place earned in this class._

_Overall, most E.A.T students do go on to have careers to do with their weapon/meister roles. But the E.A.T class in no way ties down your future. Many opportunities are to be had outside of Shibusen, and a Shibusen education will only help your chances._

_Your E.A.T class teacher will be…_

"_Maka?_" Stitches squealed. Marie smiled.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Stitches asked, jumping out of bed.

"I didn't want to spoil the surprise." Marie smiled. Stitches took her 'weapon' badge and placed it in her glasses case. She walked out into the lounge room and put her hands on her hips, shooting Stein a glare.

"Did _you_ know Maka was going to be my teacher?" Stitches asked. Stein shrugged.

"Maybe." Stein said. Stitches went to hit her father playfully in the arm, but he grabbed her fist before she could.

"You don't think you can get past my defences, do you?" Stein asked. Marie walked up behind Stein and flicked him on the back of the head.

"Ow." Stein said. Marie laughed slightly.

"Maka's going to be my teacher?" Stitches asked. Stein nodded.

"Well, I hardly think you'd want us as your teachers." Stein said. Stitches shrugged slightly.

"I don't know, I wouldn't have minded that much. Except you'd know when I had homework." Stitches laughed slightly.

"I don't pay attention to that. Less homework, less marking." Stein said.

"But _I _do. And don't think I won't ask Maka what you did in class." Marie smirked at Stitches, standing behind Stein.

"Mama…" Stitches whined, flopping down on the couch. Marie smirked.

"You know you have to do your homework." Marie said. Stitches sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Stitches rolled her eyes, her silver hair falling over her face. She shuffled herself back and leant against her father.

"Are you sure I should be in the E.A.T class?" Stitches asked, twiddling her thumbs. Stein sighed and draped his arm around Stitches.

"You'll be fine, Stitches." Stein said, looking down at the bespectacled girl. She looked back at him.

"Really?" Stitches asked. Marie sighed.

Why did her daughter underestimate her abilities so much? She was going to need an authoritative meister, or someone who could foster her abilities. She couldn't help but think of Stitches' fiery, red-headed best friend… but, then again, that other boy, that blonde, shy boy seemed to believe in her despite only having known her for a few months. Marie shook her head – the choice of meister was up to Stitches.

"Yes. Really." Stein said.

"You're not just saying that because I'm your daughter?" Stitches asked.

"Am I really the type to do that?" Stein asked.

"I don't know, I'm your only daughter, you don't have another daughter to use as a control." Stitches remarked.

"I…You…" Stein growled. Stitches smirked and crossed her arms, smugly. She was only ever like that around her father.

"Stitches, trust me. You've a lot of talent. You know that." Stein said. Stitches looked down and blushed slightly.

"Pssht." Stitches said. Stein smirked slightly.

"_That_ was your mother, right there." Stein said. Marie looked down at Stein.

"What?" she asked.

"That little noise of disdain." Stein said.

"Pssht! I don't make noises of- Oh." Marie said. Stein smirked. Marie leant down and kissed Stein gently on the lips. Stitches grimaced.

"Gross." she giggled. Marie looked over at her.

"How do you think you got he-?" Marie asked. Stitches' eyes widened and she leapt to her feet, shoving her fingers in her ears.

"_Stork!_ The stork brought me, ew, gross, don't tell me otherwise!" she said, walking off into her room. Marie laughed slightly and walked around, sitting down next to Stein on the couch.

"She's going to freak out at Shibusen, isn't she?" Marie asked, worriedly. Stein sighed slightly, nodding.

"Oh, yes." he replied.

**A/N: So, we're coming to the end of a second story. Goodness me.**

**Don't ask me where the address came from. Patchwork Laboratory is actually correct, and in the manga it specifies that it's just outside of Death City. But I made the road up because I'm cool, and 27, you ask? Well, it's 4+2+4+2+5+6+4.**

**42~42~564? Get it?**

**I SWEAR I'M COOL, YOU GUYS.**

**And, do you see how I ever so skilfully didn't write down Maka's full name on the letter? What the hell would her name be now? Maka Death? Maka the… Oh, I give up. That's the price I pay for KidxMaka.**

* * *

><p><strong>The next bio is for our little Casanova, Joseph. Take it away!<strong>

_Hey there. What's up?_

_My name's Joseph. Joseph Martin. I'm thirteen and I'm about to start at Shibusen. Pretty cool, hey? What's my weapon form? Well…_

_It's a secret. Gotta keep something to tell the ladies later, hey?_

_Well, what can I tell you? I'm pretty tall. I've got black hair and blue eyes. I live with my sister, 'cause our parents move around. __A lot.__ They work for Internal Affairs at Shibusen, so that's why I got in. My birthday is March 22__nd__, so I'm nearly fourteen. _

_My best friend? That'd be my man Tom. He's not like me – he's shy and quiet and smart. I'm outgoing and loud and… a smartass? Is that right? I reckon. Tom and I are pretty much the most badass kids around this place. Pretty sure it'll only be a matter of minutes before the babes are jumping on us at Shibusen. We've got Mina and Stitches to help us in with the ladies there, so it'll be pretty great. _

_Right, I gotta go. You guys are the ones that are gonna read about the stuff I do at Shibusen, right?_

_Any of you ladies?_

_Any of you single? _

_Name's Joseph Martin. My number is –_

_**Sorry, uh… Joseph has all of a sudden had to go… definitely not forcibly by means of a punch in the arm. He gives you all of his love – however misguided it may be.  
>Stitches x<strong>_


	29. Papa And I

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to my cat who has decided to reside on my feet whilst I'm writing this chapter. **

* * *

><p><em>~Stitches – 12 years, 11 months~<em>

_Well, Stein's in for a hell of a week._

_I'm off to assist in a course for some senior meisters with versatile souls who are learning to adapt to using unique weapon forms. I'm not sure why they didn't ask Stein to go – he's a meister who uses a unique weapon, but nevertheless. _

_I'm actually going with Black*Star – seeing as Tsubaki is at the other end of unique than me – I'm unique as in… uh… odd? Yes, odd, and Tsubaki's unique because she's adaptable._

_But, anyway, Stein's hell of a week._

_My baby girl has taken after me in that things have developed a bit quicker than other girls. She took after me in the endowment department, and then there are… those._

_And it's that time of the month for my little girl. And I'm going to be gone._

_My partner is the strongest meister ever to graduate from Shibusen. He's big and tall and strong and menacing. _

_But hell hath no fury like a teenage girl on her period._

_Good luck, honey._

_Marie x_

* * *

><p>"<em>Stein. She needs them."<em>

"Marie."

"_What?"_

"I…"

"_You're a grown man, Stein!"_

"Exactly, Marie!"

"_Stein. You don't know what it's like."_

"No, I don't, believe it or not."

"_Stein. Man up. Do it. I've got to go, alright? You'll be fine."_

"…"

"_Stein…"_

"Fine."

"_Good._" Stein could practically hear the smirk in his partner's voice.

"Yeah, yeah. Okay. I have to go." Stein said. He hung up the phone and walked tentatively back over to the lounge room where Stitches was sprawled on the couch, a groan escaping her lips as Stein looked at her.

"Right. I'm going to go and get your…" Stein stopped, his voice trailing off.

"Lady products." Stitches filled in the gap. Stein raised an eyebrow and Stitches did the same in turn.

"I should get Mina to go to the DeathMart and get a video of you buying this stuff." Stitches gave a little laugh.

"I could give you money and make you go and get them." Stein crossed his arms. Stitches sighed and recoiled.

"Fine. Just go." Stitches sighed. Stein nodded and looked at Stitches once more.

"You owe me." Stein stated.

"You owe _me. _If you'd just produced a Y chromosome we wouldn't be in this mess." Stitches retorted.

"You also wouldn't exist as you are. Your mother and I wouldn't have _you_. We'd have someone else." Stein remarked.

"Who didn't get cramps and a bad case of grumpy every month." Stitches added.

"Nevertheless, I'd rather have irritable you than somebody else." Stein said.

"I'm touched, Papa." Stitches gave a tiny smile, and Stein turned on his heel and walked to the door.

"Don't let anyone in unless it's me." Stein said, finally.

"Don't let anyone in but the six-and-a-bit foot tall guy with the bolt and stitches. Got it." Stitches gave a little laugh before Stein left the laboratory.

* * *

><p>It was rather a shock for the other customers of the DeathMart to see the intimidating Doctor Stein wandering along the feminine hygiene product aisle like a lost puppy, but once that debacle had been resolved, Stein finally made his way back to the laboratory. He pushed open the door and heard a faint sobbing sound.<p>

"…Stitches?" Stein asked. He heard a loud snivel and a choked sob.

_Oh, Sweet Lord Death._

"Stitches, are you okay?"

"_No, I'm not okay!_"

Stein tentatively looked over at the lounge where his daughter was curled up, her head tucked into her chest. Stein walked over to her, dropping the shopping bag next to the couch.

"Stitches…" Stein said, quietly.

"Oh, Death, kill me." Stitches murmured quietly into the lounge.

"I think that would be rather unethical." Stein replied, kneeling down by the side of the couch and placing his hand on Stitches' shoulder.

"Please? Just this once." Stitches tried to bargain with her father.

"Nice try. Can I get you anything? And if you say a bullet – no." Stein combated her response before she made it. Stitches shook her head and readjusted herself, sitting up but wincing as she did so.

"No, I'm fine. I think." Stitches shrugged slightly and Stein sighed.

"I'm sorry I'm useless." Stein added. Stitches smirked at her father and crossed her arms.

"So you should be." she remarked.

"Oh, you're fine." Stein stood up and rolled his eyes.

"Did you just – Did you just roll your eyes at me?" Stitches asked. Stein turned on his heel, an eyebrow raised.

"Have we switched roles?" Stein asked.

"I wish. Then you'd know what this was like." Stitches brought her knees to her chest.

"Oh, I think more than a decade of your mother at that time of the month has given me a little idea." Stein replied.

"Papa," Stitches stood up gently and walked over to Stein, staring him in the eyes, "you don't know the half of it."

"And how long are you planning to keep holding this over me?" Stein asked. As Stitches shuffled to the bathroom, she shrugged.

"I don't know. Until menopause. Or the day you die. Whichever comes last." she gave a tiny smirk, and Stein crossed his arms and smirked. She was a lot like him at that age – not that she'd want to hear that.

He was a lot like that as a teenager, before all the meister duty, before the madness. He was just a dry, smart little teenager. But nobody seemed to remember that.

Stein couldn't help but let his mind drift again to whether or not Stitches would be highly susceptible to madness. She was starting at Shibusen in a matter of days, and her exposure to madness would gradually increase.

But, for now, Stein would just have to keep a hold of the last few days before his daughter went off to Shibusen.

* * *

><p>"Duck!" Stein called, and the half-formed girl did so, rotating herself around her father and realigning her transformed hand in front of her.<p>

"Good…" Stein dropped his fighting stance and Stitches' hand transformed back into, well… a hand. Stitches gave a long drawn out sigh.

"But…" she urged her father on.

"Nothing, really. You're not bad… for a weapon, anyway." Stein gave an inward smirk and Stitches scoffed.

"Excuse me?" Stitches asked.

"I think you heard me." Stein remarked. Stitches crossed her arms and would have lurched forward to attack if not for the little, unmistakable cry a the bottom of the stairs.

"Could I get some help here?"

"Mama's back!" Stitches' eyes lit up and she ran to the top of the stairs, looking down to confirm that it was Marie home. When she saw that it was, she galloped down the stairs and into the beckoning arms of her mother.

"I missed you, baby girl." Marie smiled widely and hugged her daughter tightly. Stein made his way down the stairs behind his daughter.

"How was it, Mama?" Stitches asked. Marie smiled and nodded.

"It was pretty good. But I missed you two too much." Marie said. Stitches crossed her arms and gave a tiny laugh.

"And you," Marie walked over to Stein and hugged him tightly, "I missed you." Stitches deftly turned away and Marie gave a tiny laugh.

"You were gone for a week and a half, Marie. It's not that long." Stein said.

"Well, yes, but that isn't the point. I'm saying, I missed you, Franken." Marie replied.

"Wow. Franken. You must be serious." Stein remarked. Marie rolled her eyes and gave Stein a little shove.

"Stop it." Marie warned. Stitches turned back around and looked at her mother.

"So, what did you do there?" Stitches asked Marie picked up one of her bags and Stein took the other, and they began to make their way up the stairs.

"Well, I gave a couple of talks. I saw Justin Law again – He still looks like he's twelve – and people actually asked to have their picture taken with me." Marie said, incredulously.

"My mama's famous." Stitches laughed.

"Oh, I have my place in the minority weapon culture." Marie replied. Stein slung his arm around Marie's shoulder.

"And what about you two? Did we survive the…"Marie trailed off, and Stitches and Stein looked at each other.

"Yeah. I think so." Stitches said. Stein gave a small shrug and nodded in agreement.

"Do you want to tell me about i-"

"_No._" Stitches and Stein replied in unison. Marie gave a wide smile and wrapped one arm around Stein's waist, the other around Stitches' shoulders.

"I love you two." Marie beamed.

She'd had many achievements in her life. She'd become a Deathscythe at quite a young age. She'd been on missions to places others could only dream of. But her biggest achievement wound always be her family. Forever.

**A/N: I think I wanted to put this in so that we get a last leg of real family situations. The next story is fast approaching and it's going to be very weapon/meister/fighting/souls as opposed to this. There still will be some family moments, though. I promise.**

* * *

><p><strong>And, in light of this, we've got our final bio. The namesake of our series, the girl that our story revolves around – Stitches.<strong>

_Okay… Hi. I'm Shelley Yumi Stein, but you can call me Stitches._

_No, scratch that._

_You __have__ to call me Stitches._

_I'm nearly thirteen, and my birthday's on the 2__nd__ of February. My last name sounds familiar? _

_No, I have no idea what you're talking about._

_Okay, okay. You probably know who my papa is – if the silver hair, versatile soul and the shocking eyesight aren't clue enough, then it's your own fault. My mama is Marie Mjolnir. Blonde. Deathscythe… very short. I love them both. A lot. I'm a weapon, like Mama. I inherited her height, (sigh) her eye colour and her her weapon form. So, I'm going to Shibusen soon. Very soon. _

_My best friend is Mina West. She's absolutely amazing. She's helped me through bullying and all the tough times at school. She also has some wicked rebuttals for any insanity or screw jokes. My other best friends are Thomas Cameron and Joseph Martin. I'd known them for a while before I became friends with them, because of that horrible affliction – boy germs. But, after extensive testing by Papa, he proved that they don't exist. So, we're all good friends now._

_Okay, I'd better go. I'm glad I got to share some of my life with you._

_Stitches x_


	30. One Defining Day

**A/N: Here we are, at the end of yet another story. I'm impressed you stayed this long, actually. So, I want to thank you, reader. Whether you started at the first word in this entire series (which, coincidentally, was 'Marie') or if this is your first time reading, thank you for coming with me on Stein and Marie's journey into parenthood. From bouncing baby girl to brooding adolescent, we've been here, watching, waiting, crying and laughing for Stitches. Well, I have. So, here we go.**

**I adore all of you. All of you :D**

* * *

><p><em>~Stitches – 13 years~<em>

_So, this is it. My last diary entry._

_I pledged that I would give this to Stitches the day that she started at Shibusen. Today is that day. So, she's going to see what the first thirteen years of her life were like. Her first word, first steps, first act of violence towards Spirit._

_So, for my final entry, I've broken my own rule and I'm going to let Stein write in here. Write nicely, Stein._

_This feels dumb. Writing something like I'm saying it. Oh well. Marie, I can see you reading over my shoulder._

_Stitches, I know that you're going to do really well at Shibusen. I'm incredibly proud of you. I know that you're not going to let your mother's, nor my reputation precede you. You'll blaze your own trail and you'll find your own way. I'd wish you good luck, but a) luck doesn't exist, and b) you wouldn't need it if it did exist. I'm handing the pen to your mother now. She's crying. I just thought I should point that out._

_Stein! Thanks. I was trying to seem strong._

_So, I just want to say that I am so very proud of you. I'm so glad to be able to call you my daughter. I know that you're going to do so well at Shibusen. You're going to pick a meister, and you're going to learn so much. I can't wait to hear about everything you do, everything you learn. I wish you all the luck in the world, baby._

_Just remember, you're Shelley Yumi Stein. Don't forget who you are. Because that's when you lose control._

_We love you, baby._

_Mama and Papa x_

* * *

><p>"Come here." Marie said, motioning to Stitches. She walked over after doing up her jeans and pulling on a purple t-shirt.<p>

"What is it, Mama?" Stitches asked. Marie stood up and smiled at her daughter, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Mama…Mama, I'm fine." Stitches smiled, looking at her mother. Marie sighed.

"I… I know. I know you are." Marie sighed. Stitches hugged her mother tightly.

"But… could you put my badge on?" Stitches asked, handing her mother the 'weapon' badge that she had to wear. Marie looked at her and sniffed slightly.

"You can put it on yourself." Marie said. Stitches smiled slightly.

"I know." Stitches said. Marie smiled slightly and pulled at the fabric of Stitches' shirt, pinning the badge on.

"There you go." Marie smiled.

"Thanks, Mama." Stitches said. Marie kissed her on the forehead and sighed.

"You're all grown up." Marie said.

"I'm not all grown up. I'm only thirteen, Mama." Stitches said. Marie smiled.

"You're always going to be my little girl." Marie said. Stitches sighed.

"Mama, I love you, but don't get all sentimental. Because then you'll cry, and I'll cry…" Stitches smiled and chuckled sightly. Marie hugged her daughter tightly, squeezing her eyes shut tightly so she didn't cry. However, this tactic didn't work as she had hoped.

"Mama… Mama, you're crying, stop it!" Stitches said, rubbing circles into her mother's back.

"Sorry, sorry!" Marie said, stepping back. Stitches smiled slightly and walked off into her room, grabbing her glasses and satchel bag off of her bed.

She slid her glasses on and looked in the mirror. She brushed her fringe down above her eyes. Her hair sat at shoulder length, and as her father had so kindly pointed out, was shorter than her Uncle Spirit's. She looked down at her bedside table. She grabbed her letter of acceptance and shoved it in her bag.

"Stitches?! We've got to go!" Marie called out.

"Coming, Mama!" Stitches called, running out of her room and shutting the door around. She ran out and stopped dead in front of her father.

"Papa." she smiled. Stein took a deep breath.

"Stitches, I… You're going to do really well." Stein said. Stitches smiled and wrapped her arms around Stein, burying her head into his chest.

"I love you, Papa." she whispered. Stein hugged the girl back before she stood back.

"Alright, are we off?" Marie asked. Stitches nodded.

"Yeah." Stitches said. She pulled a black jacket off of the small stand next to the door, pulling it over her shoulders. Stein, Marie and Stitches walked out of the laboratory doors. Stitches hung back with her father, and shivered slightly.

"Okay, now I'm scared." she said, quietly. Stein placed his hand on Stitches' shoulder and looked down at her.

"Just remember; you're a Stein. You'll do well." Stein said. Stitches sighed slightly.

"Except for the fact that most people presume I'm going to vivisect them when they hear my last name." Stitches said. Stein stopped dead and his eyes widened.

"Papa?" Stitches asked. Stein turned to Stitches and hugged her again.

"What is it, Papa?" Stitches laughed.

"_Vivisect…_ oh, I've raised you well." Stein gave a sincere, albeit tiny smile. Stitches laughed and hugged her father back, all for the sake of family love and correct terminology.

* * *

><p>It was Sid who threw Stitches under the metaphorical bus.<p>

"What's your name?" the girl asked. Stitches smiled bashfully and replied.

"Stitches." she said, quietly.

And at that moment a big, blue zombie walked past and put his hand down on Stitches' shoulder. It was all in good jest, yes, but it wasn't going to end well for Stitches.

"I see you've met Stitches. She's Doctor Stein and Miss Marie's daughter, you know. Known her since she was just a baby, right, Stitches?" Sid asked. Stitches' golden eyes widened and he nodded, but she shook as she knew what was about to happen.

It seemed that it took about two seconds for everyone to find out who her father was.

It took about three seconds for the questions to start.

"_No, he's never cut me open."_

"_No, my own father doesn't scare me."_

"_No, a family outing in my house is not finding small animals to dissect."_

"_No, he's not always insane."_

"_No, my conception was not one of his experiments."_

"_Yes, my hair has always been this colour."_

"_No, you can't make any jokes about screws or hammers."_

The entire E.A.T class that were beginning that year were all congregated out the front of Shibusen, most of them with parents in tow. Stitches hand met up with Mina and Thomas, who were both equally as nervous. Stein, Marie, Mina's father, Albert and Thomas' guardian, Martha, were all standing around.

"He's a very nervous little boy." Martha said. Martha was an older woman with cropped, white hair. Her brown eyes were round and warm, and she still had a generally baby-faced appearance despite her age.`

"I've heard a lot about Thomas at home." Marie smiled.

"Really?" Martha asked.

"Indeed. We just don't tell this one." Marie said, motioning to Stein. Martha laughed slightly.

"Fair enough." Martha smiled. The guardians all walked over to their children. A boy with brown hair and gold eyes was talking to Stitches as they approached.

"Weapon, eh?" he asked.

"Meister, eh?" Stitches replied, crossing her arms. She knew who her meister was going to be. Well… she was pretty sure, anyway.

"What's your form?" he asked. Stitches threw her forearm out, forming into a hammer.

"Ah, a rarity." he smirked.

"Indeed." Stitches snapped.

"I'm Kane. Maybe you can hammer me some-_Ah!_"

Before Kane could finish his sentence, Stein grabbed him by the front of the shirt and lifted him up, a death glare on his face.

"Hi." Stein growled.

"D-D-Doctor S-Stein?" Kane trembled.

"She's thirteen and I'm her father, so I suggest that you stop making suggestive comments like that if you wish to keep all of your limbs." Stein said, sternly. Stitches' head was in her hands.

"Papa, put him down." she said, embarrassedly. Stein looked over at his daughter and dropped the boy, who scuttled away.

"Papa…" Stitches put her hands on her hips.

"But-" Stein began. Stitches crossed her arms.

"_Doctor Stein_, I can fend for myself. But thank you." Stitches said. Stein raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms.

"Don't Doctor Stein me." Stein replied.

"But, sir, that's how I'm supposed to address my teachers." Stitches grinned facetiously and Stein trolled his eyes.

"Go on." Stein told Stitches and she smirked and ran back to Mina Thomas and Joseph. Stein turned around to see Marie looking at him in a highly discerning fashion.

"I'm sorry, Marie." Stein said. Marie shook his head.

"If I'd dealt with that, that boy would not know what hit him." Marie said. Stein shrugged and nodded before Marie's face changed. Stein's face dropped.

"What is it?" Stein asked.

"They keep asking her about you." Marie said. Stein raised an eyebrow.

"Jealous?" Stein asked. Marie crossed her arms.

"Try again, Stein. I want her to have the chance to forge her own path." Marie said. Stein sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"She'll get there." Stein remarked. Marie gave a small smile before looking up at her partner.

"She is a Stein, after all." Marie giggle. Stein smirked and shook his head, and he and Marie turned as they saw Shinigami-sama walk out of the front doors of Shibusen.

"Hiya, hiya, hiya!" he said. The students all turned to him and waved.

"Alright! You guys are the best of the best; you're the most skilled little meisters and weapons in all of Death City. It's with great pleasure that I welcome you all to this fine institution!" Shinigami-sama said. The group all applauded and cheered. Mina turned to Stitches.

"You ready?" Mina asked.

"Yeah." Stitches took a sharp breath out.

"I'd like to introduce you to the woman who will be your teacher for your journey here at Shibusen; Maka-sensei!" Shinigami-sama said. Maka stepped forward and looked out at the near thirty students that she'd be taking through Shibusen.

"Students of Class Crescent Moon. Some of you I know quite well. Some of you I'm meeting for the first time. But, what I do know is that you're all incredibly gifted, and it's a privilege to get to teach you all." Maka said. The class all applauded once more. Shinigami-sama bounded forward and clapped his hands together.

"Alright, so, without further ado, I invite all the students to come into Class Crescent Moon! And, parents, friends, guardians, don't worry! We keep them safe, for the most part!" Shinigami-sama laughed.

The group murmured slightly and watched as their children all started to walk through the front doors of Shibusen.

Stitches looked back at her parents. They both looked incredibly proud; and that's because they were. Marie grasped Stein's hand tightly. He tightened his grip on her hand in a similar fashion.

Stitches took a deep breath and walked through the doors of Shibusen, walking next to the red-headed, fiery girl who she called her best friend and the fair-haired, soft-spoken boy who she didn't quite know how to define.

The next few years of Stitches' life were going to define who she was, what she would achieve, who she'd achieve it with and what her life was going to be like.

But those years weren't for the daughter of Shibusen's strongest meister.

They weren't for the daughter of Oceania's former Deathscythe.

They weren't for the girl who had connections with pretty much everyone who was anyone at Shibusen.

They weren't for the girl who attended her first Deathscythe function at three months old – no.

Those years were for Shelley Yumi Stein. A girl. A weapon. Just one of many students in the E.A.T class. And she would find those answers behind the doors of the academy.

Those years were just getting started.

**A/N: And so, we say goodbye to Stitched Together. Thank you so much for reading. **

**The next story is a ****lot**** more Stitches and other O/C's centric. Stein, Marie, Maka, Spirit, Kid, Azusa and Naigus will feature (and I apologise profusely for the lack of Naigus in this story, she'll be in the next one more) but it's mostly about Stitches. So, I once again thank you for reading, and I hope to see you back for the next story :) **

**(with all of your friends :D)**


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